Acting Prisons Commissioner Edwin Wilson has promised to investigate claims that an inmate was released from the prison farm despite a urine test which showed he had drugs in his system.

An officer told The Royal Gazette a report about the test had never reached the parole board because the inmate was related to one of the prison hierarchy.

Mr. Wilson said he didn't know anything about the case but he promised to investigate the matter.

He said the officer who made the allegation should bring it to the attention of the prison authorities.

The officer who made the claim said: "A lot of inmates are disgruntled about this because it's unfair. And officers are upset. We might as well give the urine samples ourselves if we are going to be deceitful about it.

"It was obvious this guy was doing drugs and was not ready to be put back into society.

"If they had got the results of the urine test they would never have let him leave jail."