Coronavirus: Suspected fake jab GP released from custody

The 53-year-old Gesy doctor, who was arrested on suspicion of issuing fake anti-Covid vaccination certificates, has been released pending the completion of police investigations.

According to police information, cited by the Cyprus News Agency, the suspect, who has been in police custody since his arrest on August 6, was released late on Wednesday.

The doctor, who is registered with Gesy as a GP, was arrested at his home in Aradippou after the father of one of his patients reported his son had been issued a vaccination certificate without receiving the two doses of AstraZeneca from the GP.

The patient, aged 41, was intubated in ICU earlier that week with coronavirus.

His father reported the incident after he was informed by hospital staff that his son confessed to them he had not received the jab, despite being registered in the Gesy system as fully vaccinated.

The doctor denied the accusations. He is listed as having administered coronavirus vaccines to 102 people, 47 of whom also gave statements to the police.

Police said they identified another of his patients, who is registered as vaccinated through the specific doctor, while it appears that he has not been vaccinated. He was treated with coronavirus at the Famagusta reference hospital.

The doctor is being investigated for conspiracy to commit a crime, forgery of an official document, circulation of a forged document, securing false documents, causing bodily harm and for violations of the General Health System (Gesy) and transactions with agents that indicate corruption.

So far, 27 statements have been given to the police from family and friends of two patients of the doctor.

Statements were also taken from the health professionals who treated the patients at the hospitals, the Cyprus medical association as well as officials from the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) and the national health scheme Gesy.

During investigations, police found in the suspect’s home and office various documents and boxes with glass bottles containing a liquid.

The bottles were sent for testing and results are expected from the state laboratory.

Police were also granted permission to access the doctor’s bank accounts as there is information that he was being paid to issue the fake vaccination certificates.

However, no such evidence has emerged so far, police told the judge in a court hearing last week.

The mobile phone and personal computer of the suspect have also been examined by the police.

Blood samples are being taken from 14 of his patients who are registered as vaccinated to determine whether they have had the jab or not.

Police are also investigating two more doctors, one in Paphos and one in Limassol, who are suspected of issuing fake vaccination certificates.

A man is also being sought who presented himself as a doctor and supposedly administered a Covid vaccine to a woman at his house who found out later she was not on the ministry’s registry.