There is no evidence at present that the Video Gate case constitutes a hybrid attack against the Republic of Cyprus, according to Antonis Demetriou, lawyer for Black Cube.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Demetriou said the company had made it clear from the outset that it would only assist the investigation on the condition that the identity of the individual or legal entity that commissioned the production of the video would remain confidential.
Lawyer defends independent investigator
Demetriou also defended Independent Criminal Investigator Andreas Paschalides, describing him as “an exceptional person and judge.”
“Everyone has the right to disagree, but not to dismiss someone’s work entirely. It is unfortunate and unfair to him,” he said.
Referring to Paschalides’ finding that the footage was “not authentic”, Demetriou argued that the material submitted had been fully certified.
“The excerpts are authentic. Perhaps what he meant was that they were the result of editing,” he said, adding that editing involves selecting segments of footage rather than altering their content.
No evidence of state involvement
Asked to comment on the investigator’s conclusion that the Video Gate footage amounted to a form of hybrid attack intended to harm the Republic of Cyprus, Demetriou said, “At this stage, nothing indicates that.”
He added that Black Cube’s position had always been that it does not work for governments, political figures or political parties.
When asked whether the company could be certain that the private client had not acted on behalf of a foreign state, Demetriou replied that such questions should be addressed directly to the company.
“I am the company’s lawyer, and I can only tell you what I know,” he said.
Client identity to remain confidential
Demetriou said he was unaware of any other Black Cube investigations involving Cyprus and added that he would not expect the company to disclose such information.
He also stressed that Black Cube would not reveal the identity of its client, even if requested by the Attorney General, saying confidentiality had been a fundamental condition from the beginning of the company’s involvement.
Asked whether Black Cube had participated in editing the shortened video published on X, in addition to recording the original 26-hour footage, Demetriou replied: “I don’t know. The video was published on Twitter.”
Also read: Videogate investigation: Video aimed to harm Cyprus
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