Prison staff suspended

corrupt guards, who received payments for allowing contraband, which includes cellphones, drugs and tobacco, to be smuggled into the prison.

No-one has yet been charged with corruption-related offending as a result of the inquiry, which has been led by the police’s National Organised Crime Group.

‘‘A number of matters are with the Wellington Crown Solicitor for assessment,’’ a police spokesperson said yesterday.

Before a person can be prosecuted for a corruption offence, the Crown needs the approval of the attorney general.

As part of Operation Portia, detectives have spoken to more than 100 Rimutaka Prison staff.

Information those staff provided, which was outside the scope of the corruption investigation, ‘‘resulted in two other phases of work’’, the prison director told staff last year.

The National Organised Crime Group had referred lower level crimes, such as assault, to a team of Wellington district police to investigate.

The second phase ‘‘relates to information regarding noncriminal workplace conduct that is of a concerning nature’’.

Beales said work was ongoing at Rimutaka Prison to ‘‘strengthen our culture, ensure professional standards of behaviour are consistently followed and maintained, improve our practice, and strengthen our overall management of people in prison.