The termination of the duties of central prisons director Anna Aristotelous as acting permanent secretary of the defence ministry as of June 25 was published on Friday in the official gazette.

Also published in the gazette was the appointment of interior ministry permanent secretary Elikkos Elia to the post of acting defence ministry permanent secretary, from June 25 to July 2.

According to Cyprus News Agency sources, Elia’s appointment has been renewed for a further three weeks.

The cabinet suspended former head of the central prisons Aristotelous from her post at the defence ministry on June 24 over the classified state documents found in the residence of the prisons’ chief warden.

Her lawyer Christos Triantafyllides said Aristotelous was being used as a “scapegoat” and that she would be appealing the decision.

On June 25, Aristotelous explained that she had not been called in to give a statement in the early stage of investigations but towards the end.

Modestos Poyiatzis, legal advisor to deputy chief of police Michalis Katsounotos, who was at the time the drug squad chief and had allegedly attempted to secure damaging footage of Aristotelous while serving as head of the prisons, told CyBC that Katsounotos had called on Aristotelous to submit any evidence she had to the independent authority against corruption.

Aristotelous and the chief warden at the time Athena Demetriou had requested their transfer from the prisons to other public service postings in late 2022 after no charges were issued against Katsounotos.