Makarios Drousiotis appeals for public help: ‘I’ve fought many battles… this is the hardest’

Local corruptionCrimejournalismlawTop News Makarios Drousiotis appeals for public help: ‘I’ve fought many battles… this is the hardest’ Makarios Drousiotis Relevant News 39C heat and afternoon cloud to grip Cyprus this week 10 August 2026 Makarios Drousiotis appeals for public help: ‘I’ve fought many battles… this is the hardest’ 10 August 2026 Traditional Bull Race of Bengal, India 10 August 2026 newsroom 10 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis has issued a dramatic appeal for financial help from the public to fund a major legal battle, saying he is now facing a second criminal investigation, this time over possible violation of personal data linked to his book “Mafia State,” in addition to 80 charges he already faces in the “Sandy” case. “This is a frame-up, a conspiracy of cover-up and retaliation for ‘Mafia State,'” Drousiotis said following the new prosecution. Beyond the cost of his legal representation, he said, significant resources are needed for independent forensic examination of phones and digital material by specialised technical consultants and experts. “My prosecutions have a vindictive character. They aim to punish me for my revelations in the ‘Mafia State’ case and to damage my credibility as a key witness,” he said. “Today I find myself alone against this system, which has the entire state apparatus at its disposal,” he said elsewhere in his statement, adding: “I have fought many battles in my life, this is the hardest. I have the physical and mental strength to fight it to the end and turn this ordeal into a ‘truth project’ and expose this frame-up.” The new investigation In his statement, Drousiotis said the Law Office of the Republic has referred him before the Criminal Court on 80 charges, accusing him of knowingly and with intent publishing false news in relation to the “Sandy” messages case. He said four years after the release of “Mafia State,” CID Headquarters, the same department he says “investigated” the “Sandy” case, is now investigating a separate criminal case against him under the pretext of a personal data publication complaint. He said a police investigator has requested statements from the book’s editor and designer, and even its printer, asking what relevance he believed they could have to what he writes in his books, and describing this as nothing other than harassment of his associates. He said that after what he called the tolerance shown during the first prosecution, those pursuing him had become emboldened and no longer maintained even the pretence of due process. He repeated that the prosecutions are vindictive, aimed at punishing him for his “Mafia State” revelations and undermining his credibility as a key witness in the ongoing criminal investigation. He also said the prosecutions aim to silence his major investigation into the sale of non-performing loans and property foreclosures, saying his investigations exposed what he described as a deeply corrupt system of power serving powerful financial interests at the expense of thousands of citizens. Drousiotis said he now finds himself alone against a system backed by the full machinery of the state, facing large law firms and powerful private individuals with significant financial resources and media influence. He described it as an unequal legal battle, saying its purpose is to bring him to his knees financially and exhaust him physically and psychologically. He said the organised plan to wear him down had been foretold by what he called one of former President Anastasiades’s “mouthpieces,” before the criminal case against him was even registered. He quoted the passage in full, noting the capital letters were the author’s own: “Anyway you should know that the HEAVY INDICTMENT of the SANDY case will burn, will scorch certain people, who in the coming period will have CONTINUOUS COURT ADVENTURES with all the consequences, financial – psychological – personal, and will become PERMANENT FIXTURES in the defendant’s dock.” He said that is exactly what is happening to him now. A call for public support Drousiotis said his weak point is financial resources, and that this is why he believes he has been targeted there. Beyond legal representation costs, he said significant resources are required for independent forensic examination of phones and digital material by specialised technical consultants and experts. He appealed to civil society to become part of the effort by contributing financially, saying the battle is not only about him but about the rule of law, accountability, freedom of expression, and journalists‘ right to investigate serious matters of public interest without the threat of criminal prosecution and financial ruin hanging over them. He said all contributions will be used exclusively for legal defence costs, forensic examinations and judicial proceedings, with regular aggregate figures published on amounts raised and expenses, and full respect for contributors’ personal data. Financial management, he said, will be audited by an approved auditing firm. “Even the smallest contribution has huge moral and material value,” he said, thanking the public for their trust and support and inviting anyone wishing to contact him to do so at [email protected]. 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