Giannakis Trial: Acquitted of 5 Charges

A significant development occurred in the case of former Commissioner of Volunteerism, Giannis Giannakis, at the Nicosia District Court. He was acquitted of five charges related to the forging of a document and the circulation of a false letter of recommendation.

Mr. Giannakis has already admitted to three charges (1, 2, 8) regarding the circulation of false official documents, presenting documents to the Republic of Cyprus as authentic from an American University and a Cypriot Lyceum.

Initially, he faced nine charges, with one suspended. In April, he admitted to the three most serious charges, which carry a prison sentence of up to ten years. Due to the trial being held in a District Court, the maximum sentence is 5 years, while the circulation of a false letter of recommendation carries 3 years.

During the hearing, the representative of the prosecuting authority, Marina Masoura, stated that four witnesses would be accepted. Judge Nicol Grigoriou expressed concerns about delays and warned of a possible decision on the merits.

After a recess, the Prosecutor's Office decided to suspend the five remaining charges and presented a report of facts for the three charges to which Giannakis pleaded guilty. The next hearing was set for August 29, with lawyer Petros Stavrou to argue for mitigation of the sentence.

Source: CNA