Estonian officials receive bonuses for prison agreement with Sweden

The Estonian Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs has awarded one-off bonuses to employees who made a greater than required contribution to the preparation of the prison lease agreement between Estonia and Sweden.

Chancellor Tiina Uudeberg granted a one-off bonus of €2,000 to Argo Tomingas, head of the armed unit of the Prison Service. She justified it by his greater than required contribution to the preparation of the agreement.

Deputy Secretary General Rait Kuuse awarded a one-off performance bonus of €1,500 to Risto Lindeberg, head of the administrative department of the Prison Service. Kuuse also granted a one-off performance bonus of €2,000 to Priit Posti, IT manager of the Prison Service, both for their above-required contribution.

On June 10, the Riigikogu approved an amendment to the law allowing foreign prisoners to be brought to Estonian prisons. Estonia also ratified the prison agreement with Sweden.

The agreement allows the use of up to 400 cells in Tartu Prison to accommodate up to 600 Swedish prisoners. The agreement is valid for five years, with a possible extension of three years.

Sweden will pay Estonia €30.6 million per year if the number of prisoners is up to 300, and €8,500 per month for each additional prisoner. In the first year, Sweden will pay €23 million, or 75% of the annual amount, as the prison will reach full capacity only by the end of the year.

Based on the expenditure forecast, the average annual cost for 300 prisoners is approximately €28.9 million, and excluding one-off costs, which are paid separately, the average service cost is €26.8 million.