Senate to debate mutual assistance in criminal matters bill

The Senate will tomorrow (Tuesday March 8, 2016) entertain debate on the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016. The bill was forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, in January, this year and subsequently transmitted to the National Assembly for consent. The […]

The Senate will tomorrow (Tuesday March 8, 2016) entertain debate on the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016.
The bill was forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, in January, this year and subsequently transmitted to the National Assembly for consent.
The bill is expected to deal with criminal cases and other related matters and to ensure collaboration between Nigeria and other foreign nations.
According to the chief law officer of the nation, the existing legislation on the subject matter is the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters in the Commonwealth, (Enactment and Enforcement) Act, 2014, which has limited application to the Commonwealth countries and does not serve the wider needs of Nigeria for mutual cooperation and collaboration globally especially in areas of criminal matters.
Malami also pointed out that, “in addition, the increasing rate of cross border crimes aided by globalisation and advancement in information and communications technology has made it imperative for a legislation of this nature to promote cooperation for the prosecution of offenders across the borders.”
He said “when enacted into law, the legislation will enable the effective prosecution of cross border crimes and will assist in the reduction or elimination of offences with cross border dimension.’’