The government paid out €22.8m in compensation payments to people who had been wrongly jailed last year, the Volkskrant reports on Monday.

People who have been remanded in custody but are later released without charge or found not guilty are entitled to between €80 and €105 for each day spent in jail.
This figure can be increased if someone’s reputation has been seriously damaged, the paper says. In addition, the cost of lawyers and other expenses can also be added to the final bill.
Nijmegen law professor Ybo Buruma told the paper the increase in pay outs (up 300% in 12 years) is due to the rise in not guilty verdicts.
‘The percentage of convictions has fallen from 97% to 92% since 2005. That costs the state money because the police and justice ministry officials are increasingly opting to lock up suspects well before an eventual court case,’ he said.
Last year, 9,257 people asked for compensation for wrongful arrest. Judges rejected 800 claims.