A prison warden, a prison inmate and the inmate’s wife will stand trial for corruption, bribery and racketeering, following a decision handed down by Nicosia district court on Thursday.
The three were referred to trial before a criminal court. The first hearing has been set for June 24.
They stand accused of organising and participating in a scam in the central prisons, where the convict would buy items from the prison canteen and then sell them to other inmates at a marked-up price.
The scam took place allegedly with the full knowledge and active participation of the warden, who took a cut to look the other way.
Nicosia district court ordered that the warden remain in police custody until the trial. The inmate who sold the goods is to be transferred to a different wing. The third defendant, the inmate’s wife, was released on conditions.
The warden faces multiple charges, including conspiracy, corruption, accepting bribes, abuse of power, racketeering and money laundering.
Prison sentences for such crimes range from seven to 14 years.
According to the state prosecutor, the warden conspired with the inmate to set up “a network for the sale of goods which the second defendant [the inmate] would obtain from the prisons canteen and would then sell on to other inmates.
“This was done with the consent of the first defendant [the warden], who was tasked with monitoring wing 10 of the central prisons where the second defendant was being held.”
A witness for the prosecution – another inmate at the prisons – told of how the convict would sell cigarettes, coffee, phone cards and other items which he purchased from the prison’s canteen.
The witness said the other inmates were forced to buy from the convict, as often when they sought these items from the canteen, they were told that they had exceeded their buying quota.
This had been going on for three years.
The other inmates paid the convict using Paysafe Card.
Paysafe Card is a prepaid cash-based, online payment method based on vouchers with a 16-digit PIN code. The vouchers can be used to fund online transactions without a bank account, credit card, or other personal information.
According to the same witness, a person outside the prisons would visit a kiosk and purchase a Paysafe Card for each interested inmate. This person would then relay the 16-digit PIN code. The convict selling the goods would next inform his wife of the card’s code, and the funds would be credited to her account.
As for the warden, his cut allegedly amounted to one-half of the proceeds from these illegal sales. The money would be wired to him by the convict’s wife using Revolut.
The court heard that a search of the convict’s cell found boxes full of croissants and coffee. Police also searched the wife’s home, finding there a mobile phone, a number of Paysafe Cards and receipts made out in the name of the convict.
The court also heard that the convict would buy items from the prisons canteen worth anywhere from €300 to €500 per week. Police said that he would sell four packets of cigarettes for €25, instead of the market price of €16.
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