Viet Nam, Singapore sign treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

The Treaty was signed by Viet Nam's Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Procuracy Nguyen Huy Tien and Singapore's Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, Murali Pillai SC.

The Treaty sets out a framework for both countries to make requests for and provide legal assistance in criminal matters to each other, such as in locating or identifying persons, taking of evidence, and executing search and seizures.

Both sides will assist each other in the transfer of evidence, documents, and requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, as well as in the transfer and recovery of assets derived from criminal activities.

Murali said, both nations enjoy close and longstanding relations, diplomatically, as well as in the fields of economic, technical and legal cooperation.

Viet Nam and Singapore are also parties to the ASEAN Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, and have close cooperation under that Treaty for many years, he noted, adding that the Treaty builds on this strong foundation and paves the way for even more effective cooperation in the prevention and suppression of crime.

For his part, Nguyen said, the signing of the bilateral agreement is a testament to the comprehensive cooperation results between the two countries, thereby contributing to promoting the Viet Nam-Singapore Strategic Partnership to become increasingly deeper and more substantial.

The same day, Nguyen had a meeting with Attorney-General of Singapore Lucien Wong.

Both sides exchanged views on cooperation between their agencies, and measures to strengthen collaboration within the framework of the ASEAN - China Prosecutors-General Conference, facilitate exchanges of delegations at all levels, and share experiences in combating financial crimes, especially transnational financial crimes, as well as effectively implement the recently signed treaty./.