Taiwan, St. Lucia conclude judiciary cooperation pact

2023/08/22

The Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed Aug. 16 between Taiwan and St. Lucia, underscoring the allies’ commitment to deepening ties and combating cross-border crime.
 
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the treaty was signed by Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang during a ceremony in Taipei City, where Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang, St. Lucia Amb. Robert Kennedy Lewis and other officials were present to witness the historical moment. It follows a police cooperation agreement concluded by the two sides in January 2018.
 
Peter Chia-yen Chen, ROC (Taiwan) ambassador to St. Lucia; Alva Baptiste, minister of external affairs, international trade, civil aviation and diaspora affairs; and Attorney General Leslie Mondesir took part via video conference. The pact was then forwarded to Baptiste for signature in the Caribbean country.
 
Under the treaty, the two sides will expand assistance and cooperation in criminal investigation, prosecution, crime prevention, video interrogation, provision of documentary evidence, execution of search and seizure, and information sharing, among other key areas.
 
According to the Ministry of Justice, this is the 13th such cooperation agreement following those with allies Belize, Nauru, Palau, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu, as well as Germany, Poland and Slovakia, among other countries.
 
The ministry will continue to promote such agreements with like-minded partners to promote law and order around the world, it added.


Source: Noticias de Taiwan (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)