Prisoner return, England spends £1.5m on 37 minibuses and cars for Albanian prisons

New details show that part of the multi-million dollar deal is going towards equipping the Albanian prison service with new vehicles.

The agreement signed between the government in Tirana and the one in London for the return to the homeland of Albanian prisoners who are serving their sentence in Great Britain, has started from the implementation in financial terms.

This is what " The Independent" reports , as a newly published article states that 37 minibuses and electric vehicles with a cost of 1.5 million pounds have been given to Albania as part of the agreement.

New details from government contracts, published this month, show that part of the multi-million deal is going towards equipping the Albanian prison service with a new fleet of vehicles.

Around £500,000 will be spent on 15 electric vehicles, while 22 new minibuses will be provided to Albania's prison service at a cost of more than £1 million.

The British government described the offer of electric vehicles as " part of the move towards zero emissions into the atmosphere and as part of a wider green initiative ".

The Ministry of Justice in London has not yet said when the vehicles will be delivered and whether more vehicles can be sent to Albania in the future.

Therefore, the agreement reached in May between the Ministries of Justice in both countries will mean that 200 Albanian citizens who are serving sentences in England and Wales will be sent home to serve the remainder of their sentences.

In return, the British government will invest in the "modernization" of the Albanian prison system, while the total agreement was expected to cost London about 8 million dollars over two years.

In addition to the total cost there will be other funding coming directly from the Home Office, but British officials insist the deal will save the country millions of pounds. They explain that the cost to the state of a foreign prisoner in the British penitentiary system is £40,000 a year.

Announcing the deal in May, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: " The public expects that foreign criminals should serve their sentences overseas, not in our prisons at the expense of the taxpayer ." (A2 Televizion)