Vital evidence destroyed in police exams fiasco

NO ONE can possibly take the blame for the irregularities in the 2001 police exams because the original papers have been destroyed, Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said yesterday.

Theodorou yesterday presented the findings of an investigation into the affair, adding that the loss of the original papers has destroyed any potential of initiating a criminal investigation.

Despite this, he was obliged to order a disciplinary investigation but no measures would be taken against those involved, since most of them have since retired.

In the findings, the investigator said the force’s “negative attitude towards the exam board’s request to photocopy and investigate suspect papers, in conjunction with the complaints concerning the exams was wrong and culpable.”

“It was the duty and obligation of the police to investigate the issue in depth and not turn a deaf ear to the copying request and look into the problematic papers.

“Not only should the police have co-operated with the exam board, but they should have investigated the issue on their own initiative, locating the respective candidates and exhaustively examine the existence of the suspect papers,” the report said.

The result of the police’s negative stance was the destruction of all the originals, which led to the inability of identifying the papers with the candidates, the report said.

The identical essays create the suspicion that the subjects had been leaked but it cannot be substantiated because of the lack of testimony or any other evidence.

The investigator did not rule out the possibility that some of the candidates already had the essays, resulting in the identical papers.

The report slammed the inadequate supervision – sole responsibility of the police – during the exams, which gave candidates the opportunity to cheat.

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