New appointee picked after CV furore ends in hasty resignation

President Nikos Christodoulides has appointed Loukia Christodoulou as a member of the public service commission just days after the qualifications of his initial pick came under scrutiny and resigned 24 hours after he was given the position.

A brief statement from the presidential palace on Saturday said Christodoulou had been appointed. She previously held the position of president of the committee for the protection of competition and was also a member of the fiscal council.

The palace said Christodoulou holds a BA in Law. Law (Hons) from The University of Kent at Canterbury and an LLM in International Commercial Law from the same university.

The focus on educational credentials came into play on Friday when the previous pick for board seat, Michalis Michael resigned following an uproar on social media when his educational qualifications were questioned and he appears to have been awarded a master’s from a disreputable institution that gave a degree to a cat in the past.

Michael, who was appointed to a seat on the commission responsible for overseeing the civil service got his master’s degree from Trinity Southern University, and his doctorate from Canterbury University, both known as diploma mills, it emerged.

In 2004, Trinity, which Michael had listed on his CV, had been embroiled in a scandal after the institution gave a degree to a pet. The pet was a house cat named Colby Nolan, who belonged to the deputy attorney-general in Pennsylvania.

For the price of $299, the cat was able to receive a degree from the Dallas-based university.

In looking to expose Trinity Southern University for fraud, undercover agents had the then-six-year-old feline obtain a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Listed on Michael’s CV is also Canterbury University, which is another institution embroiled in selling degrees.

In Cyprus, social media and a number of MPs were enraged over the appointment of Michael following the revelations. Reports suggested he would hold a news conference but it hasn’t yet materialised.

The saga is similar to one involving former volunteerism commissioner Yiannis Yiannaki who resigned almost two years ago amid a police investigation that his academic qualifications had allegedly been forged.

President Nicos Anastasiades had appointed him commissioner in May 2013.