Justice Minister Anna Koukkides-Procopiou believes a large number of prisoners at the overcrowded Nicosia Central Prison are currently irregular migrants who tried to leave the island on fake passports.
That’s why she suggested in a draft report that they are promptly deported rather than imprisoned, Philenews reported on Wednesday.
She has also submitted specific recommendations focusing on changes to prison facilities.
For those people convicted of immigration-related offences, the courts should have the power to order their detention and immediate deportation.
In this way, she added, the central prison will not be burdened with persons who will be deported anyway.
At present, it costs more than €100 a day to feed and house a convict while there are no living quarters and some of them have to even sleep on the floor.
Currently, there are over 120 people being held who have committed no other offence than impersonation in an attempt to leave the EU-member country.
Most of them are trying to fly to a Scandinavian EU-member state where living conditions for asylum seekers are better than in other countries.
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