This text was published by MEDDMO, one of fifteen EDMO Hubs.
The “Sandy” case, or “Sandygate”, in Cyprus quickly moved from the realm of a political and judicial scandal to that of a controversy over the reliability of the digital evidence linked to the investigation that “exposed” the scandal. The accusations made public by journalist Makarios Drousiotis, a candidate in the May 2026 parliamentary elections for the Volt party, targeted leading political, judicial and economic figures in Cyprus.
However, within just a few weeks, attention shifted to the elements that were supposed to support these accusations: the pictures, voice recordings and messages. Cypriot media investigated these documents made public by the journalist and identified major inconsistencies.
The case has thus become a textbook case in journalistic verification during an election period. Background to “Sandygate” The so-called “Sandygate” case is based first and foremost on the story attributed to a woman publicly referred to by the pseudonym “Sandy”. The account was made public by journalist Makarios Drousiotis, who is running for office in the Cypriot parliamentary elections of 24 May 2026 on the Volt Cyprus list, a progressive and Euro-federalist party, in the Nicosia constituency.