Yiolitis says police acted lawfully

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis says police did things by the book in the Twitter parody case, rejecting media reports that she blamed law enforcement for an investigation later deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.

The justice minister, who spoke on state radio Wednesday morning, said she had filed a complaint “as a citizen” some three weeks before police searched the home of a Larnaca teacher and confiscated her electronic devices in connection.

Yiolitis said she only complained about a photo of her father that was posted by Twitter handle “Lady Emily Kardashian Duchess of Yiolou,” a parody account that pokes fun at the minister.

“The parody account was known well before my complaint,” Yiolitis said, adding that she acted in an effort to protect her family when she saw her father’s photo posted on the parody account and felt it was a breach of privacy.

“How would you feel if your father’s photo appeared on social media, a man who has nothing to do with public life,” the minister asked.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that a police search warrant was unlawful in connection with the complaint, after it emerged that a district court judge went above and beyond a warranted suspicion in granting a warrant.

Immediately following Yiolitis’ statements on the radio, some media outlets reported that the minister was blaming the police, suggesting she wanted to have seen a different way of handling the matter.

But Yiolitis issued a statement later in the morning, according to the Cyprus News Agency, saying her remarks on the issue had been misconstrued.

“Police acted in accordance with legal procedures, which they always follow in similar cases,” the statement said according to CNA.

The justice minister also said that her comments on the radio did not in any way point to any blame on her part against the police.

The educator has vowed to sue the state over the illegal search but it has not been fully clear whether the police would be the only defendant in the upcoming lawsuit.

Police have not commented on the issue after the Supreme Court said the search was unlawful.

Yiolitis was criticized recently for not speaking on the matter during a press conference on corruption, when President Nicos Anastasiades responded to a question addressed to the minster saying he appointed her and the matter was closed.