RP senate approves extradition treaty

RP senate approves extradition treaty

MANILA (AFP): The Philippine senate yesterday ratified an extradition treaty with South Korea, officials said.

The treaty, drafted in May of 1993, adopts the principle of "dual criminality," making someone who commits a crime in one nation subject to extradition in the other country.

Under the agreement, those convicted of an offense carrying a penalty of at least one year imprisonment can be extradited. The treaty also retroactively covers crimes committed before its ratification.

The treaty excludes those accused of political offenses from being extradited, said the treaty's Philippine sponsor, Senator Blas Ople. But those who engage in assassinations, attempted assassinations, kidnapping, genocide or acts of terrorism, even if politically motivated, would be subject to extradition.

The Philippines already has extradition treaties with Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Micronesia and Thailand. Similar treaties with the United States and Switzerland are being negotiated, Ople said.