Cyprus’ political scene has been shaken since Thursday afternoon by the posting on X of a video showing former Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, the Director of the Office of President Christodoulides, Charalambos Charalambous, and the Director of the Cyfield Group, Giorgos Chrysokhos, speaking in a manner that suggests the Cypriot president’s team used cash for his election campaign, exceeding the legally prescribed limit of €1 million.

In its initial reaction, Nicosia spoke of a “hybrid attack” against the Republic of Cyprus, hinting at a “Russian finger,” given Cyprus’ assumption of the EU Presidency.

According to Phileleftheros newspaper, a meeting was held late Thursday night under President Nikos Christodoulides, attended by Attorney General Giorgos Savvidis and the head of the Cyprus Intelligence Service (KYP), Tasos Tzionis.

The video, approximately eight minutes long, was published on the account of Emily Thompson, who presents herself as an independent researcher, analyst, and lecturer, with a primary focus on U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Thompson appears to have conducted geopolitical analyses on the website Eurasia Review, which is reported to be based in the United States. Her profile is currently under investigation by Cypriot authorities.

As an initial step, former minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (TAE) of Nicosia. According to Cyprus Times, he was asked to provide additional information, which he stated he would submit in the coming days.

Can't even describe what I just received!
🚨 BREAKING BOMBSHELL VIDEO EXPOSES CYPRUS PRESIDENT'S SHADOW CASH MACHINE!
President Nikos Christodoulides allegedly SMASHED the €1M campaıgn fınance cap vıa a sneaky family network!
Brother-in-law Charalambos Charalambous (Director of… pic.twitter.com/B9YDR1Y3T3

— Emily Thompson (@EmilyTanalyst) January 8, 2026

The protagonists of the video

The key figures in the case—unfolding the day after Cyprus assumed the EU Presidency—are Charalambos Charalambous, current Director of the President’s Office (brother-in-law of President Christodoulides’ wife, Philippa Karsera), who plays a pivotal role in the country’s governance, and Giorgos Lakkotrypis, former Minister of Energy, who, despite having served under the Anastasiades administration, maintains excellent relations with Christodoulides’ circle.

Also appearing prominently in the video is Giorgos Chrysokhos, Director of the Cyfield Group—the largest construction company in Cyprus. (In a previous interview in February 2024, Chrysokhos had opposed the Greece–Cyprus electricity interconnection, highlighting what he described as the “myths and risks” of the Great Sea Interconnector.)

According to the information accompanying the post on X, the individuals speaking in the video had recently been presented as investors expressing interest in investments in Cyprus. In a characteristic excerpt, Giorgos Lakkotrypis is heard saying—within a general reference to presidential elections—that the funding limit is around one million euros and that, to exceed it, “sometimes you have to rely on cash.”

Allegations of political financing routes

Those featured in the video are allegedly discussing “routes” of political money, funding mechanisms, and ways to “support” Nikos Christodoulides’ election campaign for the 2028 elections through corporate contributions or corporate social responsibility initiatives, with references also made to cash.

The same report records phrases attributed to the interlocutors such as “the money is in cash” and “we are the main contacts here at the Presidential Palace, next to the President,” as well as references to personal access to the President.

In his latest post, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis noted that, following further investigation and evidence already collected by the competent service, “a case of hybrid activity against the Republic of Cyprus is being examined,” adding that both the Attorney General and the Chief of Police have been informed.

Chrysokhos: “A badly edited video”

Giorgos Chrysokhos himself, speaking to AlphaNewsLive, described the video as badly edited, rejecting claims that his references to having a very good relationship “like with a girlfriend” actually concerned President Nikos Christodoulides.

“I never mentioned the word Christodoulides or president, obviously. They took things from other instances and inserted them. You can even see my sleeve in one part—clearly from another moment. I was talking about something else,” he said.

He confirmed that Cyfield had donated to the Independent Social Support Agency, as thousands of other companies had done. “It is a fact that within the framework of our social policy we are very active and donated €250,000 to many charitable institutions. There is nothing wrong with that; we did nothing wrong; nothing bad is being shown about us,” he said.

He reiterated that the statements attributed to him regarding his relationship with the Cypriot president concern entirely different individuals and did not rule out filing a complaint with the police. “This is a political issue we do not want to be involved in; we are not politicians,” he concluded.

Who were the “investors”?

The website Economy Today reports that the individuals presented as interlocutors of Cypriot officials and figures appeared as Dutch investors aiming to invest more than €100 million in Cyprus, particularly in the energy sector. According to the same information, they allegedly had contacts with Giorgos Lakkotrypis inside and outside Cyprus, held a video conference with Charalambos Charalambous, and had a private meeting with Giorgos Chrysokhos.

The €1 million “ceiling”

The post on X attempts to link the content of the video to the framework of campaign financing and the maximum spending limit for candidates. It is recalled that Cyprus’ Audit Office had already recorded, as early as 2024, an exceedance of the maximum permitted campaign spending limit (€1 million) by the main candidates in the 2023 presidential elections—including Nikos Christodoulides—resulting in attributed violations and предусмотрμένες administrative consequences. The Audit Office had also highlighted “loopholes” in the legislation regarding the time period that qualifies as the “pre-election period.”