The government sees an “industrialised” abuse of compensation claims for insufficient prison conditions in Hungary, the head of the prime minister’s office said on Thursday.
A total of 12,000 lawsuits have been initiated and Hungary has been fined a total of over 10 billion forints (EUR 30m), Gergely Gulyás told a regular press conference.
The government has decided to put an end to this practice which it considers an abuse of European and Hungarian legal regulations, he said. Even if the criminals receive compensation under any claim, there must be a way to channel the money to their victims, he added.
Gov’t to End ‘Prison Business’ by Suspending Payment of Compensations for Poor Living Conditions
The government has authorised Interior Minister Sándor Pintér to open temporary prison facilities if necessary, he said. In addition, new prisons are being constructed to increase the total capacity by 1,500, he added.
The law on compensation claims is under review by the justice ministry and will be put on the parliamentary agenda after mid-February, Gulyás said.
Featured photo by Lajos Soós/MTI