Sale of mothballed prisons to go in "three waves" in Ukraine – Justice Minister

Ukrainian Justice Minister Denys Maliuska says the sale of Ukrainian prisons and detention centers will go in three waves.

"We have planned several waves of sales. The first wave of sales is mothballed prisons, whose maintenance eats up money," he told Ukraine 24 TV channel.

"The second wave: we will sell detention centers in city centers. And the funds received from the first-wave sale will go for building new detention centers in industrial zones or beyond city lines. Accordingly, detention centers will be moved outside cities, land spots will be vacated, and we will also sell buildings in city centers. And the third wave is a network of prisons that we will sell," the official said.

Maliuska named restoration of the penitentiary system infrastructure the ultimate goal of the endeavor.

Read alsoUkraine's justice ministry putting mothballed prisons up for sale

"The first wave is mothballed prisons, the second wave is detention centers, and the third wave is prisons that are now operating. We don't want to take taxpayers' money. We seek to develop at the expense of the existing infrastructure and restore the entire infrastructure in 10 years," he added.

Background

• Ukraine's Justice Ministry as early as by summer-end is set to put up for electronic auctions a number of mothballed prisons.
• At least eight penitentiary facilities are set to be shut down soon.
• Prisons will put on sale via a Prozorro-Sale electronic bidding platform.