Just days after the Cypriot Republic assumed the EU Presidency for the first half of 2026 and shortly before the election campaign begins, the island nation has been shaken by a social media post on X. “Bombshell video reveals Cyprus President’s shadow cash machine” was the title of the post on X from an account managed under the name Emily Thomson, which caused political turmoil in Cyprus. The denial was immediate. The government, through government spokesperson Constantinos Letymiotis, spoke of “hybrid activity” against the Republic of Cyprus, appealing to the Attorney General and Police Chief.
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The video features former Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis, Director of the President’s Office Charalambos Charalambous, and Director of Cyfield Group Georgios Chrysochos, who are conversing with individuals (whose identities are not revealed) who appear as “investors”. The video makes references to possible irregularities in Nikos Christodoulides’ 2023 election campaign financing, aimed at bypassing the one million euro limit that Cypriot law sets for campaign expenses through the use of cash. In exchange, the “investors” would allegedly have privileged access to the Presidential Palace.
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
Cyprus: “The video is a fabrication – It seeks to damage the government’s and country’s image”, says government spokesperson
Cypriot media and government members stated that the video’s authenticity has not been verified, while Government Spokesperson Constantinos Letymiotis characterized it as “malicious and fabricated” and claimed it “seeks to damage through false, misleading claims and arbitrary conclusions, the image of the government and the country.” Former Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis, who is one of the people allegedly appearing in this video, filed a complaint with the Nicosia Crime Detection Department. According to reports in the Cypriot press, he alleged among other things that his statements were edited in a way to serve a specific narrative and present him as saying that illegal cash was being circulated.
The one million euro limit and the “donations” – What the video claims
According to the newspaper “Phileleftheros”, “those (Dutch) who recorded what Mr. Lakkotrypis was saying presented themselves as investment fund managers. They had met with the former minister as parties interested in investing €150 million on behalf of the investment fund in the energy sector. Mr. Lakkotrypis participates in the board of directors of a company with activities in the energy sector and met the alleged investors in that capacity.” The eight-minute video features a voice in English claiming that “The president financed his election campaign with illegal cash — disguised as ‘donations’ — to bypass the 1 million euro limit.” Former Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis is heard saying: “In elections they have a limit of about 1 million. So sometimes they have to rely on cash, to be able to exceed this budget,” while at another point he is heard saying: “He has a 1 million limit for his campaign. You know, it has to be in cash, so they go there with cash. And they spend the money in cash.” Regarding the director of the Presidential Office Charalambos Charalambous, it is heard: “the president needs cash, calls his office director — who is also his brother-in-law”.
The video’s reference to “Russian oligarchs”
In another part of the video, Georgios Chrysochos in a completely separate conversation with the alleged Dutch “investors” is shown boasting about his close relationship with the president, saying: “If I call him, he will answer. He’s like my girlfriend.” It’s worth noting that the video references three “Russian oligarchs”: Mikhali Fridman, Petr Aven, Andrei Kosogov. It is known that sanctions had been imposed on the first two, but not on the third, Andrei Kosogov, who according to sources, attempts were being made in the EU to avoid them. In this segment, documents from the UK’s Office of Foreign Asset Control appear simultaneously with their names. As expected, opposition party political leaders, as well as the ruling party and government officials demanded answers from the government.
