Former Central Prisons director Anna Aristotelous and former deputy director Athena Dimitriou were placed on suspension on Tuesday after being criminally charged in connection with missing prison documents.
Aristotelous’ suspension, which had recently expired, was extended on Tuesday until 30 November. From 1 December 2025, her status changes, as she is due to be appointed director general.
The Cabinet is expected to move to place her on suspension until the conclusion of legal proceedings, following advice from the Law Office, according to the report.
The development came after the Attorney General on Tuesday sent his opinion, which had been requested by the presidency official in charge, Agriculture Ministry Director General Andreas Gregoriou.
Regarding Dimitriou, Auditor General Andreas Papaconstantinou had submitted a request to place her on suspension after receiving a letter from police informing him of her criminal prosecution in connection with thousands of missing Central Prisons documents.
On Tuesday, the Audit Office was informed by the Public Service Commission that the request was accepted and she will remain off duty until the conclusion of her trial, unless there are further developments.
The Cabinet is expected on Thursday to proceed with appointing Aristotelous, along with four others, to director general positions. A decision on her suspension is expected before she takes up the new post.
Aristotelous has filed an appeal against the Administrative Court’s decision to reject her application seeking annulment of the Public Service Commission’s decision to renew her suspension for another two months.
Six other staff members are also off prison duty until their trial, with one having transferred to police. They are also named in the indictment recently filed at the Nicosia District Court. The first hearing is set for 15 December.