Home searched over minister’s parody account

Police officers knocked on the door of a woman who manages a Twitter parody account about the justice minister, prompting some social media users to inquire about the incident.

According to media sources, police obtained a search warrant over the weekend in connection with a Twitter parody account about Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis, with a search believed to have been carried out sometime on Sunday.

Reports said officers went to the woman’s residence armed with a court warrant and proceeded to confiscate a number of electronic devices, including computers, in connection with an investigation into possible breach of personal data. 

A post later appeared to inquire about a woman in Larnaca who had not posted anything online Sunday afternoon.

There was no indication whether police received an official complaint about the account, but sources told Knews on Monday morning that there was no arrest and no intent to prosecute a woman, whose Twitter account in question was well known on social media.

The parody account appears to poke fun at Yiolitis, a former corporate lawyer in Limassol, whose personal life and lifestyle is often picked apart by posts from Twitter handle “Lady Emily Kardashian Duchess of Yiolou” as well as replies from other social media users.

Yiolitis recently had her lawyers send a Cease and Desist letter to Kathimerini columnist Theano Kalavana, over the latter’s posts on her private Twitter account commenting on links between the minister’s former law firm and golden passports.

The justice minister categorically denied any insinuations and put Kalavana on notice with a potential lawsuit and demanded an apology over what she described as defamation.