The Audit Office has rung bells over the total of €284 million of non-paid traffic and other violations – a number of which owed by prominent persons in Cyprus.
Yet, only a handful of violators were arrested and put in prison last year, and none of whom being high-proflers, according to Philenews.
In fact, of those who did go to prison for unpaid penalties were unemployed and mainly working-class people who owed up to just 200 euros.
In particular, wall painters, farmers, animal breeders, taxi drivers, construction workers etc and not a single high-profile citizen. At least not even one of those who owe more than 100 thousand euros.
In 2020, a total of 110 people ended up in the Central Prison for debts, the majority of which were up to five thousand euros.
From the data we collected, it appears that 26 people were imprisoned because they owed debts from 200 to a thousand euros, 38 people up to two thousand euros, and for 65 people their debts were up to five thousand.
