Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters treaties, which will enable more effective cooperation and exchange of information between France and Mauritius and facilitate countering cross-border crimes, were signed, today, in Port Louis.
The signatories were the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, and the Ambassador of the Republic of France in Mauritius, Mrs Florence Caussé-Tissier. The Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, was also present on the occasion.
In a statement, Minister Ganoo underlined that the signature of the two agreements will establish a more robust cooperation between Mauritius and France in the judicial field as well as in the fight against organised crime and impunity, while highlighting that the requests for judicial cooperation are multiplying.
He pointed out that for decades the two countries have been collaborating in the field of mutual legal assistance in an informal way according to the common law.
The signature will henceforth commit both parties to reciprocally hand over to each other persons who are in the territory of one of them, for the purpose of executing a sentence of deprivation of liberty, pronounced by the judicial authorities for an act giving rise to an extradition, he said.
The signature also demonstrates the determination of both Mauritius and France to fight transnational crimes such as money laundering, financing terrorism, drug and human trafficking, and cybercrime, he added.
As for the Attorney General, he said that the treaties will establish a strong legal framework on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition and facilitate exchange of information between the two countries.
He also emphasised on the importance of international treaties and collaboration of partner countries in fighting cross-border crimes. For her part, Ambassador Caussé-Tissier highlighted that the signature of the agreements marks a major development in judiciary cooperation of France and Mauritius.
She recalled that discussions on the treaties date back to 2012 and expressed satisfaction that they are now concluding after so many years. “There is no doubt that the judicial cooperation will facilitate judicial acts and extradition and further reinforce collaboration between the two countries,” she said.
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