Mozambique's Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs said yesterday that the country will sign more extradition agreements so that foreigners convicted in the national territory can serve sentences in their countries and decongest prisons.

Helena Kida was speaking after a visit to the Nldlavela Women's Prison in Maputo province.

"We do have some inmates who are not nationals, we have [here at Nldavela Women's Jail] an inmate from Congo, who has served half of her sentence, but she cannot be paroled. We also have a Venezuelan citizen sentenced to ten years and who has also served half of her sentence, but she cannot be paroled," Kida said.

According to the criminal legislation, the impossibility of granting conditional release to foreign prisoners is due to the infeasibility of fulfilling the Identity and Residence Term because they have no home in Mozambique.

The Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs said that the Mozambican authorities are also studying the possibility of signing prisoner exchange agreements, so that Mozambican prisoners can serve time in the country.

A survey will be done in national jails to determine the number of foreign prisoners who will be covered by the prisoner exchange scheme, he added. (Lusa)