Lawyer Christos Triantafyllides, representing former prisons director Anna Aristotelous, has renewed calls for an independent investigator to take over the probe into missing prison documents, arguing the police cannot handle the case fairly.

In a second letter sent last week to attorney-general George Savvides, Triantafyllides urged him to appoint an independent criminal investigator, saying the current process is compromised. He included statements from two former inmates who alleged possible offences by senior officials, including assistant police chief Michalis Katsounotos, Maria Shaeli and Haris Herodotou.

The lawyer said that because of Katsounotos’ senior position, the police lack the independence needed to investigate.

He argued the probe should restart from scratch, without the involvement of any officers named in the witness statements.

It follows an earlier letter from October 14, in which Triantafyllides criticised the law office’s decision, announced on October 10, to keep the police in charge of the investigation. 

He said the choice “raises serious concerns about fairness” and warned that the police are “deprived of the possibility of objective and subjective independence” due to the involvement of senior officers.

He described the process as “contaminated”, adding that it damages the credibility of the law office and could undermine future court cases.

The letter was also sent to President Nikos Christodoulides and Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, while Aristotelous has reserved her legal rights.

The case began in April, when police discovered classified prison files at the home of a warden. The documents were believed to have been taken between November and December 2022.

Five people, four wardens and a police cadet, were arrested and held for seven days. 

Aristotelous and her former aide, Athina Demetriou, who were in charge of the prisons at that time, have already given statements to investigators.