The head of the Kosovo Correctional Service, Ismail Dibrani, has confirmed in an interview with the French media outlet “AFP” that Kosovo has been inundated with numerous requests from various European countries to rent prison cells. This comes after Kosovo’s agreement with Denmark to lease prison facilities.
Dibrani revealed that these countries have offered substantial sums of money for such agreements, but he stated that Kosovo has not yet considered these requests.
“After signing the agreement [with Denmark], we received numerous requests from European countries for large sums of money. But we haven’t discussed them yet,” Dibrani told AFP. “We already have a lot of work to do for our country.“
He further explained that Kosovo has available capacity within its prisons. Out of 2,800 total cells, only 1,800 are currently occupied by prisoners.
“Unlike most European states, which are facing prison overcrowding, we have sufficient capacity. Our prison capacity is currently 2,800 places, while we currently have around 1,800 prisoners,” Dibrani added to the French media.
Under the agreement finalized in 2022 and ratified by Kosovo’s MPs in 2024, Denmark will transfer its foreign prisoners to a detention center in Kosovo until 2027. The agreement stipulates the acceptance of up to 300 foreign prisoners convicted in Denmark. None of these prisoners should have been convicted of terrorism or war crimes, nor should they suffer from mental illness or any incurable disease. Upon completion of their sentences in Kosovo, they will be sent to their country of origin. In exchange, Denmark will pay 200 million euros – more than six times the annual budget of Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice.
