Newsroom
In the latest chapter of what could rival any courtroom drama, the trial of former Volunteer Commissioner Yiannis Giannakis took an unexpected turn today, with a forgery scandal adding fuel to an already intense legal battle. If this were a telenovela, today’s episode would be titled "The Case of the Missing Credentials," as the Nicosia District Court grappled with the validity of a letter of recommendation that Giannakis allegedly presented as proof of his professional history at J&P Ltd., a prominent construction company.
The letter, which Giannakis claimed showed he worked as a civil engineer and technical consultant at J&P Ltd. in the 1990s, is now under heavy scrutiny. But was the letter genuine, or was it a carefully crafted forgery? The prosecution called two witnesses to help unravel the mystery.
The First Witness: A Civil Engineer Who Knows the Company Inside and Out
Aristos Kakoutas, a civil engineer and former head of J&P Ltd.’s tender and costing department, took the stand first. With decades of experience at the company, Kakoutas was quick to debunk Giannakis’ version of events. According to Kakoutas, Giannakis was hired in the summer of 1992, but not in the role of a civil engineer, as he had claimed. Instead, he worked in the cost accounting department—hardly a position that screams "technical consultant."
Kakoutas also revealed that Giannakis never provided the necessary diplomas or certificates despite repeated requests, raising red flags at the company. He explained that Giannakis’ duties didn’t involve any civil engineering work but were limited to managing software that tracked costs at construction sites. This, Kakoutas made clear, was far from the duties listed on the alleged letter of recommendation.
When questioned about the letter of recommendation itself, Kakoutas was adamant that the signature and name of the engineer supposedly endorsing Giannakis, George Antoniou, were fabricated. Kakoutas further confirmed that J&P Ltd.’s internal policy strictly prohibited anyone other than the General Manager from issuing such letters, and he had never been asked to write one for Giannakis.
The Second Witness: A Civil Engineer Denies Involvement
Next up was George Antoniou, a civil engineer who worked at J&P Ltd. from 2010 to 2020. Antoniou testified that he had never met Giannakis and certainly never wrote a letter of recommendation for him. He was shown the letter in question for the first time during the trial and immediately recognized that the signature under his name was not his own.
Antoniou explained that, in his time at J&P Ltd., letters of recommendation were extremely rare and could only be issued by high-ranking officials such as department heads or senior managers. The letter in question, he said, seemed out of place and raised serious questions about its authenticity.
The Big Question: Was It a Forgery?
As the trial progresses, the question is not just whether Giannakis forged a letter to enhance his résumé but also what this means for his reputation and the integrity of the office he once held. If proven to be a forgery, the implications could be far-reaching, shaking public trust in the Volunteer Commissioner’s office and raising questions about how far Giannakis may have gone to misrepresent his qualifications.
The case is far from over, and the next hearing is scheduled for April 30 at 10:30 AM. Additional trial dates have been set for May 8 and 16. For now, the Nicosia District Court will continue to hear testimony that could reveal even more about the truth behind this controversial letter—and whether Giannakis misled the public about his qualifications.
Stay tuned for more developments in this riveting case.
