Serdal Gunduz, the 30-per-cent shareholder and secretary-general of the now-infamous Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU) in Morphou, who stands accused of 98 charges of fraud, falsifying documents, money laundering, and other similar crimes, appeared in court again on Monday.

Gunduz’s court appearance was the first to take place in northern Nicosia, with all previous hearings having taken place in Morphou.

In court, Gunduz’s lawyer Doga Zeki said that while there are a total of 12 cases related to his client, he had received case files for only two of those cases. He therefore requested that 10 more files be delivered to him.

Gunduz’s assistant Berke Ozbek appeared in court alongside him, with her lawyer Hasan Yucelen telling the court that students had been told to deposit money into her personal bank account.

At the end of proceedings, the three-party panel of judges decided to adjourn the case until September 10.

Gunduz was initially arrested at the beginning of March and has remained in custody ever since – a fact to which Zeki had objected at a previous hearing in May.

However, whenever objections were raised, courts consistently ruled that Gunduz is a flight risk as he holds residence permits in Greece and Russia.

In May’s hearing, police deputy inspector Namik Kemal Baz had said that eight people who had received fake degrees from the university had either gained promotions or pay rises in public sector jobs off the back of their degrees.

In addition, he said, Gunduz had “threatened” the university’s vice rector and forced him to sign degree certificates which had been obtained through illegal means.

The latest date in court comes after the north’s higher education accreditation authority (Yodak) chairman Aykut Hocanin had said he is working to “create a reliable system in the field of higher education”.

To this end, he said work is now underway to implement Turkey’s higher education information management system, Yoksis, in the north.

Gunduz is just one of numerous high-profile figures to have been arrested as investigations into the scandal continue.

Former ‘education minister’ Kemal Durust, his wife and high-level civil servant Meray Durust, former Yodak chairman Turgay Avci and board member Mehmet Hasguler, and Ersin Tatar’s bodyguard Serif Avcil have all also been arrested in connection with the scandal.