Dromolaxia-Meneou mayor faces criminal charges after social media dispute

A criminal case has been filed at the Larnaca District Court against Kypros Andronikou, the mayor of Dromolaxia-Meneou. The charges were initiated by the municipality’s deputy mayor, Yiannos Ioannou, who alleges that the mayor committed a crime by a public official by intentionally misleading the public. The legal action centers on a Facebook post published on September 21, 2026, which the mayor signed alongside three other deputy mayors. The prosecution claims the mayor presented his personal views as the official position of the municipality to damage Ioannou's professional and institutional reputation.

The conflict originated from a previous 5,000-word social media post by Ioannou, in which he criticized the mayor for failing to assign him specific responsibilities since his election in 2024. In response, the mayor’s "Informative Intervention" post asserted that the administration had worked collectively on various projects. Ioannou stated he has chosen to refrain from further public confrontation, opting to let the judicial process handle the matter. The court has scheduled the first hearing of the case for November 13, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. If convicted, the mayor faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, a fine, or both.