Cyprus' Justice Minster Kypros Chrysostomides resigned on Wednesday after a convicted murderer escaped from a private hospital where he received treatment in the past six months.
Chrysostomides submitted his resignation to President Demetris Christofias during a cabinet meeting and it was accepted, local media reported.
The murderer, Antonis Prokopiou Kitas, was jailed for life in 1994 for rape and murder of two foreign women. His escape has led to public uproar, especially when some reports claim that the 42-year-old convict could move freely at the hospital.
Since Kitas escaped in the early hours of Friday, police have been combing the island in a bid to recapture him. The Central Prison, under the authorities of Justice Ministry, is in charge of all inmates.
President Christofias has expressed his anger when he learned that convicts serving heavy sentences could spend months in clinics or hospitals.
"This has truly shocked me and the necessary measures need to be taken," he was quoted as saying.