A German minister has said that he wants to deport foreign jailbirds who are costing taxpayers in the country millions, saying that they should serve their sentences in their own countries instead.

Over 440 of the 1,285 suspected murderers jailed in Germany in 2024 are said to be refugees.

When they get convicted, most end up in German prisons instead of being deported, costing the taxpayer EUR 200 (GBP 171.50) every day per foreign prisoner.

The current cost to the German taxpayer is almost EUR 7.5 million (GBP 6.43 million) every month, or EUR 90 million (GBP 77.18 million) a year.

In light of this, Manfred Pentz, the Minister of International Affairs for the German state of Hesse, has now proposed sending migrants to their countries of origin to serve out their prison sentences.

He said: "One day in a German prison costs about EUR 200. German taxpayers could save a lot of money if these criminals were deported consistently and from the first day they were in prison."

Mass murderer Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, 50, for example, killed six people and seriously injured 300 others with his car at the Magdeburg Christmas market on 20th December 2024.

Many of his victims suffered amputation and have been physically and mentally scarred for life.

The Saudi Arabian man faces life imprisonment, which is a minimum of 15 years in Germany.

But if he spends 20 years in a German prison, it will reportedly cost the taxpayer EUR 1.5 million (GBP 1.28 million).

Pentz said: "Crimes like those we witnessed in Aschaffenburg, Magdeburg, or Munich regularly result in life sentences and millions in costs.

"Criminals who have been convicted and no longer have a chance of staying in Germany should therefore serve their sentence in their home country from day one."

But because the German authorities do not want killers and other violent criminals to endure harsh prison conditions in their home countries, it is currently preferred for them to be processed by the German judicial system.

However, Pentz emphasised: "The better prison conditions in Germany cannot be an argument for murderers and rapists to stay in Germany longer."

(Joseph Golder/newsX)