Prison warders discovered to have been skiving have not been suspended pending the outcome of an inquiry.

The investigation was ordered last week after Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia turned up at the prisons unannounced. It is to be completed next week.

“You cannot suspend someone without understanding the chain of responsibility and establish facts,” a ministry spokesman said.

“There are a lot of people involved and the (investigating) board is evaluating dates and times. So how can you suspend some out of many? “It’s not always easy to suspend workers while an investigation is under way because how would you choose between some workers and others,” he said, adding that the board was also looking into whether some of the absent warders had obtained permission to leave early as time off in lieu.

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