**Title: Former Prison Director’s Suspension Annulled by Administrative Court**
**Date: [Insert Date]**
The administrative court has annulled the suspension of Anna Aristotelous, the former director of prisons, which was imposed by the public service commission in December 2025. This decision comes amid ongoing legal proceedings related to a criminal case involving the removal of classified documents from the prison institution.
The court's ruling was issued on Wednesday, following an appeal submitted by Aristotelous against the commission's suspension decision. The suspension had resulted in a significant pay cut for Aristotelous, reducing her salary by two-thirds. The court found that the authority to recommend her suspension did not lie with the cabinet, but rather with the presidency of the Republic. At the time the recommendation was made in November 2025, Aristotelous was still serving in a capacity that required her to report to the presidency and had not yet transitioned to her role as permanent secretary.
In its ruling, the court identified a legal error in the cabinet's proposal for Aristotelous's suspension. As a result, the court deemed her appeal successful, leading to the cancellation of the initial suspension decision.
Following the court's ruling, Aristotelous's lawyer, Chris Triantafyllides, communicated with the cabinet’s secretariat to notify them of the annulment and requested that his client be reinstated to a permanent secretary position without delay.
The backdrop to this legal dispute involves a police investigation that began in April 2025, when a search of a prison warden's home uncovered a substantial number of official documents, some of which were marked as "confidential." This discovery prompted a broader investigation, during which law enforcement officials apprehended five individuals, including four prison guards and a police cadet, on suspicions of misconduct related to the removal of these documents. Authorities believe that the majority of the classified materials were taken from the prison between November and December 2022.
Both Aristotelous and her former deputy director, Athina Demetriou, have provided testimony as part of the ongoing investigation. The case has garnered attention due to its implications for prison management and the handling of sensitive information within the correctional system.
As the situation develops, Aristotelous's reinstatement to a permanent secretary role remains contingent upon the conclusion of the pending criminal case. The administrative court's decision marks a significant turn in the legal proceedings surrounding her suspension and the broader investigation into the alleged misconduct within the prison system.
The outcome of the ongoing criminal case and its implications for prison administration in Cyprus will be closely monitored by both the public and legal observers.