Evidence submitted by journalist Makarios Drousiotis to the police regarding claims he has made regarding a former supreme court judge whom he accuses of rape, and others, will be forwarded to the European Union agency for law enforcement (Europol), Justice Minister Costas Fitiris said on Wednesday.

Speaking after the day’s cabinet meeting, he said that the evidence will be “immediately” sent to The Hague for “forensic examination”.

He added that after Europol’s examination has concluded, he will “return with new information” to cabinet, so that “the necessary decisions can be taken in accordance with its responsibilities”.

Fitiris added that he expects results after the Easter period, upon which the government shall determine whether to proceed in appointing an independent criminal investigator, pending Europol’s conclusions.

Drousiotis had submitted a dossier to the police on Tuesday, with Michalakis Christodoulou, the judge whom he accuses of having raped Nikos Clerides’ now former client ‘Sandy’ when she was a minor, continuing to maintain his innocence.

Christodoulou had said last week that he had “acted like a father” to ‘Sandy’, and that he is willing to cooperate with the authorities.

Other figures named by Drousiotis, including former MEP Demetris Papadakis and Edek deputy leader Morfakis Solomonides, both of whom he alleges to have “acted on the behest of Christodoulou as informants and interlocutors”, have denied the allegations.

Papadakis also gave a statement to the police on Friday, accusing Drousiotis of publishing false news and circulating false documents, before calling a fresh press conference on Wednesday to once again state that he is innocent.

Lawyer Clerides, who has submitted his own material and testimony regarding evidence ‘Sandy’ had apparently divulged to him as his client, has raised serious concerns about the handling of the case.

“I am speaking as a witness, who has testified and has presented to the competent authorities what I know,” he said, distancing himself from his now former client who is alleged to have retracted her previous statements without his prior knowledge, while maintaining that the digital messages are indeed authentic.

He added that “there are so many and the way they are written, not even the best screenwriter could have constructed them”.

He further stated that he fears for his personal safety, saying, “I feel like I’m in danger, I don’t want anyone to think I am suicidal” and cautioned against attempts to discredit those bringing forward information.

In response to Clerides’ apparent fear for his life, President Nikos Christodoulides asserted on Wednesday that “the safety of every citizen is the responsibility of the state,” while urging anyone facing threats to contact the authorities.

Drousiotis himself has similarly questioned the ability of domestic institutions to investigate the matter impartially, arguing that the involvement of high-ranking individuals within the allegations themselves makes an internal probe untenable.

Experts say Europol’s involvement shall focus on verifying the origin, integrity and potential manipulation of electronic data, a process that could prove decisive in determining the direction of the case.

One legal analyst speaking to the Cyprus New Agency positioned that “if the material is authenticated, the implications are most serious; if it is discredited, the entire narrative collapses”.