Open letter from the General Secretary of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, to the President of the Republic, Mr. Nicos Christodoulides

 

11 January 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Mr. President,

We have chosen to address you publicly as the scandal surrounding the video in question is clearly a matter of public interest. It certainly has ethical dimensions, but it also raises questions about illegal activities that severely undermine the rule of law.

I regret to note that your reaction to the scandal can be interpreted in two ways: either that you do not understand the seriousness of the issue, which is extremely problematic for the institution you represent, or that you tolerate unacceptable practices. In any case, your stance is not only inadequate for the circumstances, but it also contradicts your pre and post-election statements about taking a tough stance against corruption.

As AKEL, we feel obliged to state emphatically that no attempt whatsoever to cover up the scandal will succeed, because society is already too suspicious to permit it. The claim that the video is the result of hostile actions by “foreign forces” has been used before, in the past too, with regards the scandalous “golden passports” affair. This claim has not only failed to convince, but has in fact exposed and discredited Cyprus all over the world.

The attitude of concealment, rather than catharsis, from the institutional entanglement and corruption that is unfortunately thriving in Cyprus leaves our country exposed to those who want to harm it. And you personally bear enormous responsibility for this, given that the first duty of the given President of the Republic is to protect our country and its name. Not only are you failing to do so, but you are working in the opposite direction.

You also bear an enormous responsibility, Mr. President, to uphold the prestige of the institution of the Presidency, which the people have entrusted to you. From the moment you permit your close associates — the Director of the President’s Office himself — to involve you in decisions and procedures that go beyond any political ethics and violate the framework of the law, I must say, however unpleasant it may be, that you are damaging the institution. In addition, you are becoming equally responsible for possible offenses, even criminal ones, indeed since you are now a partner in what is being done in your name. Normally, you should have already dismissed the Director of your Office, proceeded to abolish the Fund chaired by your wife, disclosed the donors to it, and persistently demanded action be taken on the part of the relevant institutions. This is what anyone who wants to clearly disassociate his position would do.

Mr. President,

History tests and judges us all in difficult times. You ran for President and the people voted for you because you claimed to represent something new. Unfortunately, your attitude confirms that you are simply recycling the old practices of not assuming political responsibility, covering up scandals, and impunity.

Your responsibility as President of the Republic is institutional, political, and personal.

If you really want to leave office with a clean slate, as you have every now and then stated, you still have the opportunity to do so.

The choice is yours: to fight corruption or to identify with it?

Society is watching.

History is recording.