Former President Nicos Anastasiades has initiated legal proceedings against author and journalist Makarios Drousiotis, alleging defamation through his books and articles.
The legal action, lodged on April 23, 2024, at the Nicosia District Court by Anastasiades’ attorneys, Georgios Triantafyllidis and Theodoros Oikonomou, accuses Drousiotis of disseminating malicious and unsubstantiated claims in his publications “State Mafia” and “The Gang,” as well as in a 2013 article.
Anastasiades is seeking exemplary damages over €2 million, a judicial order to prevent Drousiotis from further distributing the content, and any additional relief deemed appropriate by the court, alongside costs.
Drousiotis worked as an aide to President Anastasiades between 2013-2014. Since leaving the Presidential Palace, Drousiotis has written three books accusing the country’s political elite of widespread corruption, based on his experiences collaborating with Anastasiades.
“Mafia State” notably references Russian oligarch Dimitri Rybolovlev and the aftermath of his divorce in Cyprus, implicating a major law firm’s role and its ties to Anastasiades, unusual legislative processes, judicial decisions favouring Rybolovlev, and capital movements.
Anastasiades has firmly denied all allegations in public statements.
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