Former volunteer commissioner Yiannakis Yiannaki was released on Wednesday morning after being taken into custody for failing to appear at the Nicosia District Court during his scheduled hearing.

Yiannaki had failed to appear in court on Monday, having argued through his lawyer that illness had prevented him from attending on the date set.

The judge on Wednesday morning ordered a payment of €500 from Yiannaki, to ensure his presence at the next scheduled hearing, on April 2.

The judge informed the accused that the proceedings would continue at the next hearing, whether or not his lawyer was present.

She underscored that in the event that Yiannaki did not present himself the court would order him to remain in custody until the conclusion of the trial.

“Any delaying practice will not be tolerated,” the judge said.

The judge had ordered the issuing doctor to confirm in court that Yiannaki’s absence was justified and warned that he would remain in custody until the rescheduled trial should the doctor not confirm the validity of the medical certificate.

The doctor reported Yiannaki had been diagnosed with gastritis on Sunday evening after displaying symptoms of vomiting, inability to eat and general weakness.

The defendant had asked for a certificate to present at work, without mentioning it was to be used to abstain from court proceedings, the doctor said.

The judge had found this to be insufficient proof of Yiannaki’s inability to appear before court and therefore proceeded to issued the arrest warrant.

Yiannaki’s lawyer had initially been set to represent him only on Monday, as the former volunteer commissioner had not secured legal representation for the entire trial. He later announced that he intended to appear with a lawyer at the rescheduled hearing.

Yiannaki is being tried for forgery of his academic qualifications, specifically his high school certificate and US university degree, while serving as volunteer commissioner under Nicos Anastasiades’ government.

The forgery was revealed on May 26, 2021, by the auditor-general and was filed in court a year later following police investigations.

He had initially faced 18 charges which were subsequently reduced to ten by the legal service.

On June 9, 2022, four charges for forgery and four for circulating forged documents were filed, to which he pleaded not guilty.

In July 2024, Yiannaki’s defence had argued that his right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence had been violated through media coverage and public statements.

The prosecution countered that media coverage did not inherently render a trial unfair.