Court orders dentists remain in custody

A Nicosia District Court judge ordered two dentists, husband and wife, to remain in police custody for eight more days as police continue to investigate fraud allegations and dentist registration violations.

(Click here for an update to the story)

The two dentists, described in the media as “fake doctors” were arrested ten days ago on multiple charges in violation as per dentist registration laws, with offences ranging from fraud, incitement to commit a crime, document forgery, circulating fraudulent documents, and illegal gains.

Police told Knews on Friday that despite no new evidence emerging in the case, a Nicosia judge agreed to a further eight-day remand based on investigators asking for more time to collect evidence.

Knews understands that a number of diplomas were deemed not authentic, while the dentists deny that their diplomas are fake. The husband says he neglected to register them properly and the wife said she studied at a university and has been renewing her license without any gaps since 2010.

The dentists, who are both foreign nationals and have two children, have been practicing in Cyprus since 2010 according to reports, having set shop in the Strovolos area of Nicosia while maintaining a second practice in Limassol.

In addition to allegations of document fraud, the case was also based on a former employee’s complaint who told the Cyprus Dental Association back in 2016 that she overheard the male dentist telling another person on the phone that he could get any diploma he wanted.

The defence lawyer for the couple has said previously that eight days were too long for custody. He also said his clients were not in a position to influence any witnesses and they have cooperated fully with authorities.