A special team from the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Deputy Ministry of Migration is set up immediately, with the aim of examining cases of illegal immigrants who do not consent to their departure from Cyprus.
The decision to set up the team was taken after a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, which was attended by Minister Kostas Fitiris, Deputy Minister of Migration Nikolas Ioannidis, as well as officials of the Aliens and Immigration Service and the Immigration Department.
According to information, the aim of the creation of the team is to speed up deportation procedures in cases where the appeals of foreigners have been examined and rejected by the Courts. As it was found, in several cases foreigners appeal to the Courts requesting the annulment of detention and deportation orders or the granting of a residence permit. However, even after their appeals have been rejected, some refuse to leave the country.
These are people who are either illegally in the Republic of Cyprus or have been convicted of offenses, without consenting to their return to their country of origin.
Until now, in cases where the foreigner consented to his repatriation and there was consent from the country of origin, he could depart receiving financial support under programs funded by the European Union. At the same time, there is also the possibility of compulsory departure, if the country of origin accepts the repatriation of the person.
The new team is expected to act as a coordination mechanism between the two ministries, examining each case separately, to ensure that all the prescribed procedures are followed and that the decisions of the European Union institutions are respected.
According to information, in the past there have been cases where detention and deportation orders were issued without full compliance with the prescribed procedures, which led to the vindication of foreigners before the Courts and their release.
Almost on a daily basis, decisions are issued by the Administrative Court of International Protection, by which foreigners who are detained for the purpose of their deportation are released, when their case has not been reviewed within six months, as provided for by law.
At the same time, it seems that the process of releasing foreign prisoners with simultaneous deportation, a measure that had been decided in the context of an effort to decongest the Central Prisons, is not progressing at the desired pace. So far, a small number of prisoners have been released, while the goal is to release about 130 people.
