Site earmarked for new prison

THE new central prison will be built in the outskirts of Nicosia through a partnership between the state and the private sector, lawmakers heard yesterday.

Justice Minister Loucas Louca said the new facility will be built in an area between the villages of Tseri and Marki just outside the capital.

The prison will be built using the public private partnership (PPP) system and according to Louca, it will not affect public finances.

Louca did not say when work will start or how much the facility will cost.

The minister did say the project will be completed 18 to 24 months after the agreement was signed.

The island has an urgent need for a new correctional facility as the current one in Nicosia cannot accommodate the ever-growing numbers of inmates.

The facility, built by former colonial ruler Britain, is constantly overcrowded, creating problems for the over 600 people held there.

DIKO MP Nicolas Papadopoulos welcomed the government’s decision to construct a new prison through the PPP method but voiced his party’s worry over potential delays.

In June, Ombudswoman Iliana Nicolaou called on the state to take effective measures to decongest the facility and improve the prisoners’ living conditions.

Nicolaou said cells hosted more people than their capacity while dining and recreation facilities have been turned, without any infrastructure, into accommodation areas for over 70 convicts who share three toilets.

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