Southern Cyprus' presidential office director resigns amid corruption allegations

Allegations erupt over video appearing to indicate that legal campaign spending limit was exceeded ahead of 2023 presidential election

By Damla Delialioglu and Serdar Dincel

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Charalambos Charalambous, the director of the president's office of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, on Monday announced his resignation from his post amid corruption allegations.

The corruption allegations were sparked by a video released Thursday on US social media company X, claiming that the legal spending limit imposed on campaign expenditures ahead of the 2023 presidential election was illegally exceeded under alleged purpose of donations.

Posting via US social media company Facebook, Charalambous denied the allegations and said he could not permit his position to be “exploited for the purpose of harming" Southern Cyprus' president.

According to local media, the viral video also prompted Philippa Karsera, wife of the Southern Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, to step down from a state-affiliated charitable organization.

- Viral video

The footage claimed that the legal campaign spending limit of €1 million (about $1.17 million) set for Christodoulides in 2023 was exceeded illegally through alleged donations, via Haralambos and former Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis.

Lakkotrypis rejected the allegations, as the government, for its part, called the video a product of "montage."

Kaynak:

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