On Tuesday, February 3, the government will consider the draft law prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which provides for the possibility of extraditing Latvian citizens to the UK for criminal prosecution, writes LETA.
The Ministry of Justice indicates that currently, the extradition of Latvian citizens is possible to European Union countries, as well as the USA, Iceland, Norway, and Australia — based on international treaties concluded.
The draft law "On the Extradition of Latvian Citizens to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" stipulates that both citizens and non-citizens of Latvia may be extradited to the UK for criminal prosecution, judicial proceedings, and the enforcement of sentences, the Ministry of Justice explains.
Latvia has made a reservation to Article 603 of the Agreement on Trade and Cooperation between the EU and the UK, stating that Latvian citizens are not subject to extradition to the UK; however, this agreement has not been ratified by the Saeima, and the decision on the extradition of citizens must be made by the parliament.
UK institutions have repeatedly approached the competent Latvian authorities to activate cooperation on the extradition of their citizens, as there are grounds to believe that certain individuals present in Latvia have committed particularly serious crimes.
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