Prison warden charged with corruption

SOCRATIS Socratous, a Nicosia prison warden, was yesterday charged with corruption at the Nicosia District Court and bailed on £2,000.

Socratous, a warden at Nicosia Central Prison, is accused of accepting £500 to supply an inmate with a mobile phone, forbidden by prison rules. At first, he had been charged with involvement in drawing up an escape plan by the inmate, possessing a firearm and being paid for his contribution. After investigation, however, the charges were scaled down.

The authorities also asked for Socratous’ name to be placed on the stop list, but the court refused the request, ruling instead that he must report to a police station every Saturday. He will appear in court again at a later date.

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