On 30 January 2026, the direct trial of eight defendants in the Central Prisons documents case will begin before the Assize Court, following a decision issued yesterday by the Nicosia District Court in a packed courtroom. Among those referred is Anna Aristotelous, former Prison's Governor, along with seven other accused. All will remain at liberty after posting bail of €50,000 each.
The case is already regarded as one of the most serious and complex criminal proceedings in recent years, both because of the sheer volume of material involved and the nature of the documents allegedly held unlawfully by the defendants.
Dispute over evidential material
During the committal proceedings, counsel for Anna Aristotelous, Christos Triantafyllides, raised an issue concerning the disclosure of evidential material. He requested that the contents of the USB device be provided in printed form, citing the prohibitive cost of printing and a concern that the material may not have been disclosed in full. This position was supported by the majority of defence lawyers.
Addressing the court, Triantafyllides argued that the legislation makes no reference to the delivery of evidential material in digital form and expressed reservations both about the high cost of printing and about whether all the material had been handed over. As he put it, what exists now may not be all there is.
In response, the representative of the Prosecution referred to the definition of the word copy, as opposed to hard copy, and stated that there is no obligation to provide the material in printed form. She also cited section 94 of the Criminal Procedure Law, Cap. 155, noting that an accused is entitled to copies of the charge sheet and statements, and invited the defence to submit any relevant request to the Attorney General. For this reason, Mr Triantafyllides was asked to address his request to the Attorney General.
How the case came to light
The case emerged on 10 April 2025, when the Police, in the course of investigating an unrelated matter, carried out a search under a court warrant at the home of a chief prison officer at the Central Prisons. During the search, 48,430 documents amounting to a total of 250,464 pages were found in two locked rooms and were seized.
As previously reported by P, the documents included architectural, topographical and spatial plans of the Prisons, inmates’ files, disciplinary investigation records, internal correspondence, as well as documents from the Police and other state services. A significant number of the documents were classified as Secret or Confidential.
The indictment names Anna Aristotelous, former deputy director Athena Dimitriou, five serving members of the prison staff, and one former staff member who is now a police officer. The charges include, among others, conspiracy to commit felonies and misdemeanours, abuse of authority, breach of official secrecy, theft by public officials, and unlawful possession of property.