Today, the members of the Saeima supported in the first reading the amendments to the Law on the Management of Places of Detention, according to which the Prison Administration (IeVP) will be obliged to provide the State Revenue Service (VID) with information in cases where the turnover of funds in inmates' accounts exceeds 15,000 euros.
Previously, the State Audit Office recommended taking measures to enhance oversight of financial transactions of prisoners to ensure tax payments and the transfer of data to the State Revenue Service regarding financial operations conducted.
According to the Latvian Penal Enforcement Code, convicted individuals have the right to receive money transfers through the prison administration without any limit on the amount, as well as to send money to relatives and, with the administration's permission, to other individuals.
Received transfers are not issued to inmates in cash — funds are credited to a special account in the State Treasury or in the correctional institution's cash office. This money is accounted for on the personal account card of the inmate. Transfers for arrested individuals are only possible with the permission of the person conducting the process.
Thus, a special system of monetary circulation has now been established for inmates, and although it is actively used, the Prison Administration is not a credit institution or payment operator, so financial control requirements do not directly apply to it. The amendments introduce obligations for inmates and former inmates similar to those that apply to other taxpayers.
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