Alma leader Odysseas Michaelides said on Monday that his party may have treated former MEP Demetris Papadakis unfairly when it removed him from its parliamentary election ballot, while insisting the movement acted under pressure from serious allegations linked to the ‘Sandy’ case.

In an interview with Sigma, Michaelides said “it is not excluded that we did Papadakis an injustice”, adding that the decision “personally saddens me”.

He said Alma had acted on the basis of the information available at the time and stressed that the investigation into the case remains incomplete.

Papadakis was removed from Alma’s ballot in April after allegations published by journalist Makarios Drousiotis linked him to disputed messages connected to claims surrounding former Supreme Court judge Michalakis Christodoulou.

Papadakis has denied all allegations and said the material is fabricated.

Michaelides said the decision to remove him had been “extremely difficult” and described it as a political rather than personal matter.

“We never questioned his ethics and honesty,” he said, while adding that the absence of clear answers one week before the elections had justified the party’s caution.

The Alma leader also defended his movement’s broader anti-corruption campaign and launched fresh criticism against the political establishment.

He accused both the previous Disy administration and the current government of failing to confront powerful interests.

“The government of Nikos Christodoulides, which was supported by the president of Diko (Nikolas Pappadopoulos), continued and continues to practice patronage and does not dare to clash with major interests,” he said.

He rejected claims that Alma risks isolation in the next parliament because of its confrontational approach towards Disy, Diko and Akel.

“If we do not clash with these established parties, how will we be useful to the country?” he said.

Michaelides also reaffirmed Alma’s support for a federal solution to the Cyprus problem based on UN resolutions.

Referring to reports of renewed diplomatic activity led by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, he said any effort towards a settlement was “absolutely necessary and legitimate”.

“We do not compromise with the occupation,” he said.

“We recognise the risk of a definitive partition and therefore we will do everything we can to support the efforts to achieve a comprehensive solution.”

On domestic policy, Michaelides defended Alma’s position on adoption by same sex couples, saying decisions should be based solely on “the best interests of the child”.

He said the party rejected both “slogan based” politics and “homophobic reactionary comments”.

The Alma leader also questioned the financial framework surrounding the proposed Greece-Cyprus-Israel electrical interconnector project (GSI) arguing that consumers should not be asked to fund a project without “full transparency” and updated viability studies.

“We do not reject the electrical interconnection as an idea,” he refuted, “what we reject is the blank cheque.”

Michaelides further defended Alma’s criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza while maintaining that Israel remains “a strategic relationship” for Cyprus.

He said international law must remain the guiding principle of national foreign policy.

The former auditor general also repeated his belief that Alma will secure a decisive role in the next House.

“We will have a strong presence and reformative force in the new Parliament,” he said, despite what he described as “immoral attacks and intense pressures” against the movement during the election campaign.