A picture of complete disorganization emerges from the latest Audit Service report on the Prison Department. Fraudulent sick certificates, uncontrolled overtime and a total absence of protocols raise serious questions about Cyprus’s correctional system.
The standout case involves a guard absent over 200 days per year, submitting 111 medical certificates — while the GeSY system recorded just six visits. Some 95% of certificates came from only two doctors.
Auditor General Andreas Papaconstantinou intends to refer the matter for criminal investigation. General practitioners were issuing certificates for orthopedic conditions, and dozens of documents had no matching visit records.
The overtime situation is equally alarming: 46% of staff failed to properly record their attendance, while certain guards repeatedly exceeded legal working hour limits.
Beyond a single procedure for prisoner transfers, there are no written procedures for critical scenarios: escapes, violence, riots or even inmate feeding.
Additionally, 44 staff exceeded the 42-day annual sick leave limit, 20 of 40 electronic monitoring bracelets remain inactive, and energy costs reach 1.2 million euros.
