The justice ministry paid out the record sum of €17m in 2006 to people who were held in custody but later found not guilty of committing crimes, says national statistics office CBS.

This is a rise of 31% on 2005.
In 2006, 6,700 people claimed compensation, a rise of 17% compared with the previous year, says the CBS. In nearly half the cases this was in recompense for legal costs. Nearly 6,000 of the cases were accepted.
The amount of compensation also rose to an average €2,900, an increase of 10% on 2005, says the CBS.