Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis has been assigned a police guard from tomorrow, a day after the justice ministry stripped police protection from three former House presidents and two former first ladies.

A document obtained by Politis and signed by deputy police chief Marios Agiotis confirms that a police lieutenant and a police officer will take up duties as driver and escort for Hartsiotis, the former justice minister, from 24 September.

According to information cited by the newspaper, Hartsiotis himself requested the escort, and the presidential palace is aware of the decision.

The move comes as the audit office investigates Hartsiotis’ use of a state limousine for journeys to his home in Limassol rather than his private vehicle, on the grounds that he may not have been entitled to use a state vehicle for that purpose.

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It follows an announcement a day earlier that police guards for former House presidents Yiannakis Omirou, Demetris Syllouris and Marios Garoyian, along with the widows of two former presidents, Elsi Christofias and Androulla Vassiliou, will be withdrawn from next month.

The justice ministry said the decision rested on an updated risk assessment carried out by police, under which “there are no reasons to continue the permanent guarding” of the five individuals, and stressed that the change “is based solely on the risk assessment and is not related to the official’s status or institutional background.”

Former president Nicos Anastasiades, who currently has some 12 officers assigned to him, will see the static guard at his Limassol residence replaced by CCTV cameras from January, though his escort of six officers and a further six guarding his residence will remain in place.

The wider overhaul began in June, when Justice Minister Costas Fitiris instructed the police security committee to reassess protection arrangements for political and state officials following May’s parliamentary elections.

Under the revised system, the cabinet no longer decides who receives police guards, after a legal service opinion found that responsibility for assessing security risks rests with police rather than government.

Risk assessments are now to be carried out every six months, or sooner where circumstances require.

The ministry said a practice had developed since the 1970s under which cabinet approved protection for political figures despite no specific legal provision establishing that procedure.

House speaker Annita Demetriou currently has 10 officers, Akel secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou has four and Diko leader Nikolas Papadopoulos has three, while Elam leader Christos Christou and Archbishop Georgios each have two.

Alma’s Odysseas Michaelides as well as Direct Democracy’s Fidias Panayiotou have likewise been assigned two escorts each since the new directive.