Report into prisons accusations to be ready in ten days

The report on accusations made by prison director Anna Aristotelous against the head of the drugs squad (Ykan) will be submitted to the Attorney general within the next 10 days, the independent criminal investigator appointed to the case Achilleas Emilianides said on Friday.

The row exploded in mid-June when Aristotelous alleged that a senior police officer – later reported to be the head of the drugs squad – was colluding with an inmate to secure damaging footage of her and her assistant.

Emilianides said that his report into the matter is due by September 15, and he is still working on the report as there are some loose-ends in the investigations to tie up.

On Monday, the suspension of the Ykan officer expires, and Justice Minister Stefi Drakou is expected to decide if it will be extended.

He was suspended in June by the minister, and the Cyprus News Agency said she will wait for Emilianides’ report to make her further decisions.

In June, Aristotelous filed a formal complaint, through her lawyers, against the senior police officer.

“My lawyers have hand-delivered my complaints to the attorney-general, alongside all of the relevant evidence regarding the actions of a senior officer that were intended to harm me, and which we believe constitute a blatant act of corruption, more so because they were committed by a member of the police,” Aristotelous told reporters after the demonstration.

“We are talking about a senior officer who did not hesitate to use his influence, abusing his power, and no one can question any such action during the investigation”.

The accusations also led to a second investigation, which will see a team appointed by the deputy attorney general investigate allegations of drug and mobile phone use in prison.

Aristotelous and the unit’s senior officer Athina Demetriou asked to be transferred from their positions a day after the second investigation was announced.