Cyprus’s Audit Office has identified irregularities — potentially amounting to criminal offenses — in the use of sick leave by staff at the Prisons Department, according to a report covering 2024–25.
Auditor‑general Andreas Papaconstantinou said the findings point to pressure within the service, organizational gaps and weaknesses in oversight.
The report cites, among other cases, a prison officer who recorded 200 sick‑leave days in both 2023 and 2024 and submitted 111 medical certificates, even though only six doctor visits were logged in the national health system.
The discrepancies, the Audit Office said, raise serious suspicions of collusion between doctors and prison staff to issue false documentation, resulting in deception of the state.
Papaconstantinou said the matter is expected to be referred to the competent authorities for further investigation.