TWO SENIOR prison wardens have been arrested and remanded in custody in connection with the recent find of 11 mobile phones and other contraband in a staff locker room at the Nicosia Central Prison.
The locker was opened at random after one guard was looking for a spare place to store his belongings in.
On Thursday night the police, after securing testimony from an unnamed source, and using DNA testing from the contraband, arrested a 58-year-old guard. The guard has so far denied any involvement in the case.
A few hours later a second guard aged 45 was also arrested.
The two suspects appeared before the Nicosia District Court yesterday and remanded for six days.
Both had been on duty on the day of the discovery and according to the state prosecutor one of the suspects had allegedly handed the key of the locker to the other who in turn gave it to a convict.
The second guard reportedly admits taking the key but denies giving it to a convict. Investigators also told the courts that they are still looking for 160 phones, which according to reports had at some point in time passed through the clandestine locker.
Deputy Director of the Central Prison, George Tryfonides said yesterday: “The two wardens are rank officers and not just simple wardens. They have been arrested for criminal offences and not neglect of duty. However investigations into the case are still ongoing”.
Tryfonides went on to say that that he suspects others prison wardens have additional information but are too scared to step forward. “These people should come to us and tell us the truth, they have nothing to fear. If they think that just because we have made some arrests we will stop investigating they are wrong,” Tryfonides said.
Minister of Justice Loucas Louca said: “I hope that the arrest of these two officers marks the end of the phenomenon of smuggling banned items into the prison.”
“How can guards not be involved? Prisoners aren’t allowed to go outside,” he said, before reiterating that the public should note the case was still under investigation and it would be “unfair to condemn anyone yet “
Asked if the situation was made easier on smugglers due to the poor infrastructure of the Nicosia Central Prison, the minister said: “We have prepared a proposal to build a new prison outside Nicosia, hopefully the proposal will be ready next week and presented to the Council of Ministers”
The PASYDY union branch for prison wardens issued a statement yesterday saying it acknowledged the responsibility of the prison guards since the phones were found in an area used by staff. However it added that: “prison guards work under great pressure and hardships due to being understaffed and the fact that the prisons are overcrowded”
“Most guards are exemplary in their work and one must not make quick judgments and assign blame before the full investigation is completed,” PASYDY said.
In April this year, Prison security inspector Stamatis Tarapoulouzis claimed prisoners serving life sentences were given free reign at the prison to sell drugs and clothes, while they had their own TVs, computers and even pet tropical birds.
Tarapoulouzis was testifying in court during the trial of suspended prison governor Michalis Hadjidemetriou, regarding the latter’s suspected involvement in the December 2008 escape of convicted rapist and murderer Antonis Prokopiou Kitas.
