Doctor ‘fake vax’ trial put off again

A Cypriot doctor, who denies ever issuing bogus vaccination certificates during the pandemic, will have to wait a whole year before his day in court, after a judge on Monday pushed back his trial until next year.

The trial of a Larnaca-based medical doctor, who drew widespread condemnation after being accused of defrauding the state by issuing fake vaccination certificates, has been rescheduled for next year.

According to local media, a criminal court in Larnaca district cited a heavy workload on Monday, when a hearing in the case was supposed to take place.

The same reason was given back on April 11 when the hearing had also been postponed, with the doctor still facing serious charges including conspiracy to commit felony, document forgery, circulating a fake document, registration under false pretenses, reckless endangerment that creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, and violations of General Healthcare System Law.

Back in January 2022 the doctor pleaded not guilty to all charges in connection with an investigation into allegations of issuing fake vaccination certificates.

Prosecutors filed a criminal case after the father of a patient, who had died on his hospital bed after contracting COVID, accused the doctor of issuing a fake vaccination certificate for his son.

It later emerged that the father had been told by medical staff at Famagusta’s state hospital in early August 2021 that his son on his death bed had confided in one of them privately that a doctor in Larnaca had issued a fake certificate without an actual injection taking place.

A vaccination certificate had become a highly contentious document during the pandemic, with government officials favoring pro-jab advocates while lashing out at doctors who did not appear to support the state’s vaccination agenda.

In September 2021, Cypriot Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela said he wanted to take down names of doctors when he spoke about two men, including the patient in question, who had died after contracting coronavirus, referring to the suspect who had treated them by “administering dubious antibody cocktails.”

“I want to have a list of doctors who do not promote vaccinations, so that we can know who these people are, to see if something is not right, just like with the doctor in Larnaca,” the minister said.

The exact cause of death for the two men was never clarified by the health ministry.

Weeks after the minister’s statement, police had managed to secure voluntary blood samples from 26 out of 102 persons who were listed as having been vaccinated by the physician. Following a blood sample analysis, the antibody count in 7 of the 26 samples was described as being low.

But police were puzzled over the case as experts said many COVID-19 antibody tests were not specifically designed to detect antibodies that develop as a result of vaccination.

Investigators reportedly went back to the doctor to seek a medical explanation regarding his deceased patients.

The doctor, who maintains his innocence, is free on bail and he is expected to appear before a judge on 9 January 2023.