Taiwan and Germany have signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance on criminal matters to boost bilateral cooperation in judicial investigations and extradition proceedings, the Ministry of Justice said on Thursday.
The agreement was signed by Taipei’s representative office in Germany and the German Institute Taipei at a ceremony on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement.
Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥), who witnessed the pact’s signing, said that Taiwan and Germany are like-minded countries that value democracy, freedom and the rule of law.
Photo: Wu Cheng-feng, Taipei Times
Since the two countries signed the Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Cooperation in the Enforcement of Penal Sentences in November 2013, seven prisoners have been transferred, he said.
The prisoner transfer treaty guarantees the rights and interests of their nationals and has laid a solid legal foundation for the two countries, Tsai said.
Building on the original agreement, the mutual legal assistance pact signed on Thursday marks a joint effort by Taiwan and Germany to upgrade bilateral cooperation in judicial matters, he added.
The agreement is the seventh of its kind signed between Taiwan and European countries, marking a further step toward the development of enhanced international judicial collaboration, the statement said.
Taiwan has signed a treaty, agreement or memorandum for the same purpose with Poland, Slovakia, the UK, Denmark and Switzerland.
The agreement with Germany was signed after consultations and negotiations that started in 2017, the ministry said
Under the agreement, requests for mutual legal assistance from the Ministry of Justice and the German Federal Office of Justice can be made in writing or by way of electronic transmission, it said.
These requests include forming joint investigation teams, asset freezing, information sharing and video interrogation, the statement said.
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