Updated | Surrender of fugitive offenders agreement with Portugal possibly signed this year – Secretary for Justice

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[Updates on 2nd and 3rd paragraphs]

Macau (MNA) – The Macau SAR could sign a cooperation agreement for the delivery of fugitive offenders already this year, the Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan Hoi Fan announced on Monday.

On February of this year a Macau delegation headed by the Secretary negotiated the possible signing of agreements for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and the surrender of fugitives with the Directorate-General of Justice Administration of Portugal.

According to the Secretary when Portugal and Macau finish on-going internal procedures the agreement will then be signed, with the responsible for local justice matters promising make ‘all possible to speed up the procedures’ so that the fugitive offenders agreement can be signed in 2019.

In statements to TDM Radio the Secretary also clarified that the agreement would follow international directives that exclude extradition when the wanted person is in the territory where he or she is a national.

Therefore Portuguese nationality fugitives wanted by Macau authorities in Portugal will not be surrendered ad vice-versa.

The Portuguese Assembly of the Republic government had approved as far as 2002, a resolution allowing negotiations on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, including surrender of fugitives awaiting for trial.

Concerning a possible agreement between the Macau SAR and Mainland China for the possible extradition of convicts, the Secretary only stated that the matter required more preparation time since it was the first time that regional negotiations are being conducted on this issue.

The Macau SAR currently only has agreements for the transfer of convicts only with Portugal, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Nigeria, with last year’s Chief Executive Policy Address mentioning negotiations for possible agreements with Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam but not Mainland China.