Fatma Unal, who has enjoyed a years-long close personal association with the north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel, was on Thursday asked by the prosecution to change her lawyer in the latest hearing of the trial she faces for allegedly obtaining and using a forged degree as part of the north’s “fake diploma scandal”.

Prosecution lawyer Damla Guclu said that Unal’s choice of Doga Zeki as her defence lawyer constituted a conflict of interest.

This is because Zeki had also worked as the defence lawyer of Serdal Gunduz, the secretary-general of the Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU), who was last month sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of a litany of crimes related to the same scandal.

Unal’s allegedly forged degree was issued by the KSTU.

Guclu on Thursday said that during his own trial, Gunduz had “confessed to giving [Unal] a fake diploma” and said that this fact had made the situation “problematic” and that as such, the court itself should intervene.

Zeki, however, said that he did not agree with Guclu’s assertions, and said that he will continue his duties “if the court deems it appropriate”.

He added that he will “evaluate the situation” with Unal in the coming days.

Judge Nuray Necdet as such adjourned the case so as to allow Unal and Zeki to discuss the matter, with the next hearing set to take place in Morphou on January 8.

Unal faces a total of 12 charges and remains on bail. Her close personal relationship with Ustel saw her rise to the chairwomanship of the UBP Kyrenia district women’s branch, though she was removed from that post by the party last month.