No evidence has emerged to justify criminal or disciplinary proceedings against police officers in connection with the escape of life-sentence prisoner Theodoros Theofanous, Police Headquarters press officer Michalis Michael told CNA.
Asked to comment on reports that no liability had been established against police officers, Michael said that, based on the criminal investigators' findings, which were forwarded by the Legal Service to police, no evidence emerged to justify criminal prosecution, and that, according to the latest update, no disciplinary liability had been established either.
He said the criminal investigators' findings were first sent to the Legal Service and subsequently to police, with the criminal investigation now complete.
Transfer protocols under review
Michael said that after studying the case file, various measures and procedures relating to the transfer and escort of prisoners had been reassessed, in coordination with the Prisons Department, with the aim of preventing a similar incident from happening again.
He noted that specific protocols exist for the transfer and escort of prisoners, and that these are reviewed at regular intervals to establish what is being properly applied and which procedures could be changed or adjusted.
Asked about the process concerning prison guards, he said the matter falls outside police jurisdiction and he was not in a position to comment on it.
CNA has been told by another official source that the investigation into possible disciplinary action against prison guards has not yet been completed.
Source: CNA
