ARMY STAFF at the Palodia army depot bear a “heavy responsibility” for the theft of 172kg of explosives last week, said Defence Minister Costas Papacostas yesterday.

The minister highlighted that military personnel at the depot were guilty of “serious negligence” in carrying out their duties, in terms of disobeying orders regarding the security and operation of the depot.

“They bear heavy responsibilities, both criminal and disciplinary,” said Papacostas.

Investigators are continuing to work night and day on the case, focusing now on evaluating the statements taken so that the next steps may be decided, he said.

“Until now, over 120 statements have been taken. You understand that to assess all this material requires a lot of work,” he added.

The theft was discovered on July 21 during a routine check of the storeroom located north of Limassol where the PG-2 plastic explosives were held. The perpetrators appear to have cut through the perimeter fence close to the storeroom and broken the three locks on the door.

Police and the Defence Ministry have mounted a large-scale investigation into the theft, which has exposed a lack of sufficient security measures for such a sensitive installation. Personnel at the depot may face charges of criminal neglect and dereliction of duty.

According to reports, the deputy commander of Palodia army depot has been suspended while two non-commissioned officers were remanded in custody for eight days last Friday in connection with the theft.

Immediately after the break-in, the defence minister ordered an inventory check of all sensitive installations. At first glance, no other shortages were recorded. However, on Wednesday, on his orders, independent committees were set up to perform another round of checks, “making sure that those officers responsible for the units are not involved for obvious reasons”.

Papacostas said the government was fully committed to solving “this shameful act”, bringing the perpetrators to justice without delay and locating the stolen explosive material “in the hands of criminal elements”.

The minister did not rule out more suspensions. “The situation is very fluid,” he said. Papacostas noted that only 60 per cent of all depots have alarm systems in place due to the lack of suitable electricity supply to take on the additional load. Without proper electricity installations to install camera and alarm systems, the depots are at risk of fire.