Former volunteer commissioner Yiannakis Yiannaki on Tuesday asked judge Nicole Gregoriou to recuse herself from his forgery case, claiming she is biased.

During the hearing at Nicosia District Court, Yiannaki also spoke about to media reports that “frequently speak of delays in the trial,” claiming they influence proceedings.

The prosecution said it “disagreed with the defendant’s assertion the court is biased against him.” Additionally, the prosecution dismissed Yiannaki’s arguments regarding media coverage of the trial, saying that “under no circumstances does it relate to the court’s conduct.”

In a previous hearing, the Nicosia District Court rejected Yiannaki’s request to suspend the trial because public statements by political leaders and media coverage had prejudiced his right to a fair trial. The court upheld that media influence does not inherently invalidate proceedings.

The prosecution added that Yiannaki’s former lawyer, Giannis Polychronis lost his composure during the November 28 hearing and decided to withdraw “without any provocation from the court and without even consulting his client.” As a result, the prosecution argued, the request for the judge’s recusal is not justified.

Yiannaki, who served as Volunteer Commissioner under the government of Nicos Anastasiades, is on trial for allegedly forging his high school diploma and US university degree.

He again appeared at Tuesday’s hearing without a lawyer. The previous hearing, on December 10, had been postponed as he had no lawyer following Polychronis’ withdrawal in November due to a disagreement with the prosecution over a prosecution witness.

Responding to the judge’s questions, Yiannaki on Tuesday said he has taken steps to secure legal representation and intends to appear with a lawyer at the next hearing on January 8.

Judge Gregoriou said she would return to his request for her recusal on that date, after reviewing it. However, she had instructed the defendant to be prepared to appear with a lawyer at the next hearing in case his request is rejected.

The forgery case against the former commissioner was uncovered in May 2021 by the auditor-general, prompting a police investigation. A year later, the case was officially filed in court.

Yiannaki initially faced 18 charges, however, the legal service dropped allegations related to payments from the Youth Organisation. On June 9, 2022, Yiannaki was formally charged with eight counts – four of forgery and four for circulating forged documents – to which he pleaded not guilty.