Ex-prison warden found guilty of spying on colleagues

A former prison warden has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for coercing an inmate to wiretap the correctional facility’s phone line, enabling him to eavesdrop on his colleagues.

The incident took place at Nigrita Prison near Serres, northern Greece, in 2017, during the tenure of the convicted official as head of the correctional institution.

According to the inmate’s testimony, the former warden demanded that he install a bug in the phone system so he could monitor the activities of his successor in the position.

Judges found the ex-warden guilty of breaching privacy laws and commuted his sentence for three years. 

Currently stationed at a different prison in northern Greece, the ex-warden had refuted the charges, alleging that he had been framed by his former colleagues.

Additionally, the judges held the inmate responsible for carrying out the wiretapping at the warden’s behest, charging him with the same offenses. The judges initially sentenced him to 25 months in prison, subsequently reducing the sentence to a fine. 

The case came to light during a routine inspection of the inmate’s cell, where he was serving time on drug and forgery convictions. Authorities discovered a thumb drive containing recordings of conversations among correctional officers.