Some 400 convicts from Korydallos prison will be transferred to a new jail in Trikala this week as part of the first phase to relocate inmates of the aging jail near Piraeus, Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras said yesterday.

The aim is to transform Korydallos into a detention center for defendants awaiting trial by the middle of 2007, Papaligouras said after a meeting with prefectural officials.

“The process of relocating Korydallos jail is essentially beginning, and this is not a pre-electoral promise,” Papaligouras said.

The minister said that four new jails will start operating over the next few months. The one in Domokos, central Greece, is set to open in three months, a second in Grevena in six months and another two in Elaionas, western Athens, and in Drama at the beginning of next year. Combined, the four jails will be able to accommodate 2,688 inmates.