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India, UAE sign extradition treaty

India and the United Arab Emirates this evening signed the much-awaited extradition treaty, thus removing the final hurdle in the deportation of about two dozen criminals, economic offenders and terrorists from the Gulf country.

The treaty was signed by the Law and Justice Minister Ram Jethmalani and his UAE counterpart Mohammed Bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri at Hyderabad House in New Delhi in the presence of senior officials of the two countries. The two ministers also initialled a mutual legal assistance treaty each in criminal and civil matters. These legal documents will cover both new as well as old legal and judicial cases.

The criminal and economic offenders, who have taken refuge in the UAE, are wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation in various cases including the Bombay blasts case, the Hawala case, the Bofors case and various money laundering cases.

In the absence of any treaty the criminals easily frustrated efforts by the law enforcing agencies to bring them back.

In fact, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who was the prime- accused along with 'Tiger' Memon in the Bombay blasts case, have already fled from the UAE. However, several others are still living there.

India and the UAE had decided to sign the treaty in 1997 itself but due to various reasons it failed to happen. The then minister of state for external affairs Salim Sherwani had even visited Dubai to finalise the dates for the conclusion of the treaty.

The treaty will provide a legal framework for seeking the extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals. It embodies the desire of the two countries to strengthen bilateral co-operation and to take concrete steps to combat terrorism and other crimes, an official release said.

Under the treaty the two countries shall extradite any person in their respective countries, who is accused or convicted of extradition offences. It will have retrospective effect and extradition will be possible irrespective of whether the crime was committed before or after the entry into force of this treaty.

The agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters aims to facilitate the widest measures of legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. It will now be possible to serve summons and other judicial decrees issued by the courts of one country in the territory of the other.

The courts of one country may also execute decrees and arbitration awards passed in the territory of the other.

The agreement on mutual legal assistance on criminal matters aims to improve the effectiveness of both the countries in the investigation, prosecution and suppression of crime. The agreement will also facilitate the widest measures of mutual assistance in service of summons, executions of warrants and other judicial documents and commissions.

UNI

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