Warden alleges illegal activity to undermine her

Nicosia Central Prisons Warden Anna Aristotelous is launching a complaint against a high-ranking police official, accusing him of enlisting a convicted informant to seek videos that could be politically harmful to the country’s top corrections officer.

Local media over the weekend picked up on an unprecedented story in the Republic of Cyprus, where the prison warden spoke publicly against an unnamed police official who allegedly sought potentially damaging videos of her filmed in prison.

Aristotelous went public with her story over the weekend and her lawyers were expected to file an official complaint with police authorities, seeking an independent probe.

According to media reports, Aristotelous alleged that the unnamed police official wanted to “take care of some things before the girls leave prison,” referring to the prison warden and at least one another female employee.

Local media also reported that Aristotelous was rumored to have been up for transfer to another position.

A drug convicted felon and alleged informant was purported to have had communication with the police official, according to Aristotelous, whose attorneys say they have tons of evidence of illegal activity including text messages.

Aristotelous has called on Justice Minister Stefi Drakou to suspend the police official during a pending investigation otherwise the prison warden will step down.

The story made headlines a week after Aristotelous traveled to Greece, where she was invited in Serres to share best practices in transforming the prison system.

Aristotelous has been a proponent of prison reform, including calls for alternative sentencing for minor offenses within the penitentiary system.