The trial of Yiannakis Yiannaki, former volunteer commissioner, continued on Wednesday in Nicosia with a key issue raised being the defence’s objection to two new witnesses and recent comments by the attorney-general regarding the case.

Yiannaki faces charges of forging his academic diploma, high school leaving certificate and a reference letter.

Petros Stavrou, Yiannaki’s defence lawyer, argued that statements in a widely circulated newspaper violated the presumption of innocence by commenting publicly on the case before the court’s decision. Stavrou insisted that such statements from a state official could prejudice the trial and influence public perception.

Prosecutor Marina Masoura disagreed, arguing that such matters should be raised at the appropriate time, not during the ongoing trial. The court will address this issue further at the next hearing on May 8.
The case centres on the alleged forgery of Yiannaki’s academic records. The trial focused on testimony from two key witnesses: Parasekoula Konstantinidou, director of Saint George high school in Larnaca, and Nikos Socratis from the social insurance services.

Konstantinidou testified that in 2021, she prepared copies of Yiannaki’s high school diploma, confirming he graduated with a final grade of 13 9/12 out of 20. However, a translated version of his certificate, prepared by the press and information office, listed a grade of 17 2/12 out of 20. Konstantinidou clarified that the translated document was not an official school-issued certificate and should not be considered authentic.

Discrepancies were noted between the original and translated certificates. For instance, the translated document showed a grade of 19 for religious studies, while the original indicated a grade of 15 out of 20. Similar discrepancies were noted in New Greek, Physics, and French.

The trial will continue on May 8, with the court scheduled to review the presumption of innocence issue raised by the defence and the discrepancies in Yiannaki’s academic records. Both prosecution and defence will present further arguments.