Cabinet recommends new suspension for Anna Aristotelous

On Monday, June 22, 2026, the Cyprus Council of Ministers held an emergency meeting and decided to recommend to the Public Service Commission (PSC) that former prison director Anna Aristotelous be placed under suspension once again. This decision follows a ruling by the Administrative Court last week, which annulled a previous suspension on procedural grounds, stating that the Council of Ministers lacked the authority to recommend the action at that specific time. The court noted that because Aristotelous was still serving under the Presidency when the initial proposal was submitted, only the Presidency held the authority to act. Aristotelous's lawyer, Chris Triantafyllides, has requested her appointment to the position of Permanent Secretary, a role she qualified for through official examinations. The pending criminal case against Aristotelous involves documents related to the Central Prisons found at a prison guard's residence. The Council of Ministers now seeks to rectify the procedural error to ensure her suspension remains in effect until the criminal proceedings conclude. The PSC is expected to review the new recommendation formally.