The Department of Justice (DOJ) has expressed hope that member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will soon conclude negotiations on the proposed region-wide extradition treaty.
In statement, the DOJ said "the goal of this treaty is to never allow the ASEAN to be a hiding place for criminals out of reach from justice."
It said that Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin L. Chan conveyed the anticiplation after having led the Philippine delegation at the ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting (ASLOM) held in Singapore last Oct. 10 to 11.
It noted an ASLOM Working Group on the ASEAN Extradition Treaty (AET) has already been formed and met last Oct. 7 to 9 where members “negotiated the outstanding issues on the draft treaty.”
At the same time, the DOJ said that the Philippines also proposed for the development of an ASEAN Convention on Transfer of Sentenced Persons (ACTSP).
“The AET and ACTSP will complement the ASEAN Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Treaty (ASEAN MLAT), developed by ASLOM,” it said.
“These legal instruments will serve as bases for stronger legal cooperation within the ASEAN region,” it added.
It noted that “most ASEAN Member States (AMS) have expressed appreciation to the Philippines’ offer to serve as the Secretariat for the Technical Working Group among like-minded AMS for the ACTSP.”
“The Philippines has shared that it has drafted the Terms of Reference (TOR) for circulation to the like-minded AMS,” it said.
The Philippines will chair the 13th ASEAN Law Ministers Meeting and 24th ASLOM in 2025.