The Riigikogu will discuss the agreement between Estonia and Sweden on Tuesday. According to it, some Swedish prisoners will be transferred to Tartu Prison. The session starts at 10 AM and can be watched on the ERR portal.
The number of prisoners in Estonia has decreased. Therefore, it was decided to rent out places in Tartu Prison. The plan is to bring 600 foreign prisoners to Estonia. Estonia will take care of prison infrastructure, staff, transport, medicine, and IT. The government confirmed that legal, economic, and security issues were analyzed before signing the agreement.
Interior Minister Igor Taro said that Estonia will not accept high-risk prisoners. If someone turns out to be dangerous, they will be sent back to Sweden.
The rental of Tartu Prison has caused disagreements in the coalition. Isamaa wants the agreement to be reviewed and not ratified. Tartu region leader Kaspar Kokk said that the city of Tartu must be involved, and security issues must be clear.
Kokk added that if the agreement causes negative consequences, the city of Tartu can propose to terminate it.
The Prosecutor's Office is concerned that the state has not accounted for all costs. The Prosecutor's Office says that foreign prisoners may commit crimes, like current prisoners. This requires pre-trial investigations and additional costs. Additionally, language translations are a problem, as there are few Swedish and Arabic translators.
The Ministry said that costs have been accounted for in setting the rental price, and additional funds will be found if needed.
According to the Tallinn Administrative Court, rental income may not cover the courts' additional costs, which exceed €300,000 per year. If income does not cover costs, the agreement should not be ratified.
If the Riigikogu ratifies the agreement, the first foreign prisoners will be transferred to Tartu Prison in the second half of next year.