Prison warden suspended for stealing from Prisoners’ Fund

A PRISON warden at the Central Prisons was stealing from the Prisoners’ Fund and spending the money on gambling

From the check conducted by the Audit Office, it was found that €8,500 had gone missing, but the investigation carried out by the CID Headquarters shows that the amount is far greater and inside information talks of €40,000.

The theft of the money was discovered through a regular check made on the Fund, and the Director was immediately informed, in turn informing the Ministry of Justice. The Permanent Secretary of the Justice Ministry Andys Tryfonides requested a review by the Audit Office and reported the case to the CID, which is conducting an investigation.

The warden at the Central Prisons in charge of the Prisoners’ Fund, who is considered a suspect, was suspended. He has allegedly admitted to committing embezzlement, but does not remember how much money he took so he voluntarily returned €10,000.

The money prisoners receive from the Mercy Allowance and several other sources is deposited in the Prisoners’ Fund. The money is given to inmates upon their release from prison. The suspect warden was forging the amounts given to prisoners by adding extra zeros, pocketing the extra cash. It is unknown for how long the scam was going on for, and there are indications that the money was used for gambling.

Meanwhile, the embezzlement sparked anger among the staff of the Central Prisons, who have not been paid for their overtime for June and July. There were rumours that the money for the overtime instead went to top up the Prisoners’ Fund to cover the deficit. However, the authorities have insisted that this is not the case and that the money for the overtime will be paid in the next few days. The delay is due to the holiday leave that did not allow the drafting of relevant documents.

Central Prison Governor Michalis Hadjidemetriou called for an immediate settlement of the issue, approving overtime work to members of the Accounts Department.

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