in-cyprus 16 September 2022 - by Annie Charalambous
The report into the explosive central prisons row between its director and the now suspended head of police drug squad (Ykan) suggests that three people should be criminally prosecuted.
One is the Ykan head Michalis Katsounotos along with a second Ykan officer and third person is the drug lord serving a life sentence and involved in the shocking allegations, Philenews reported on Friday citing reliable information.
The report, drafted by independent criminal investigator Achilleas Emilianides, was handed over to the Attorney General on Thursday.
Emilianides had taken deposition from over 55 witnesses, and Attorney General George Savvides now has to study the report before deciding what steps should in regard to the accusations made by prison chief Anna Aristotelous against Katsounotos.
Katsounotos has already announced that he voluntarily won’t return to the squad even though his suspension from duties expired on Thursday.
Aristotelous had accused him of colluding with the drug lord so as to secure damaging footage of her and her assistant Athena Demetriou.
That led to a series of investigations being launched, the first one ordered by the Attorney General and focusing only on Aristotelous’ allegations.
However, a second investigation was deemed necessary after the courts found that a man behind bars – serving life sentences for murder – was the ringleader of two attempted murder attacks.
And he had used a mobile phone while in prison to organize the criminal act, with the deputy attorney general’s office also citing recent reports which allege rampant drug use inside the prisons.
Alleged illegalities – drug and phone use, among others – reportedly have continued long after Aristotelous took charge of the prisons.
Aristotelous and Demetriou asked to be transferred from their positions a day after the second investigation was announced.
