Yeo says extradition talks with RI on track

Yeo says extradition talks with RI on track

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The governments of Singapore and Indonesia are making "good progress" toward concluding an extradition treaty following the first-ever technical meeting on the issue last month between the two countries, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said over the weekend.

"One bilateral issue that we are making good progress on is extradition," Yeo said in a statement as quoted by AFP on Sunday. "We hosted the first technical meeting from Jan. 17 to Jan. 18, 2005, which went well.

"Singapore has decided to conclude an extradition treaty with Indonesia."

The comments came as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to visit the neighboring island state on Tuesday and Wednesday. Susilo had expressed optimism an extradition treaty can be agreed upon during the visit, a condition some said could help bring back graft suspects who have fled to Singapore to face trial.

Yeo, however, said the treaty may take time. "Negotiating an extradition treaty is complex... we cannot predict how long the negotiations will take to complete," he said.

"The final document must be operationally workable and must safeguard the interests of both sides."

Last week, Susilo said government officials negotiating the pact have reported "very good" feedback from the Singaporean authorities, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"God willing, on Feb. 15, there will be a new step, a step forward in how we will implement this cooperation in extradition," Susilo said.

"Hopefully, during my visit, this matter which has already taken such a long time, maybe 10 years without any progress, can be settled."

The government of Indonesia has said such a pact is crucial in its fight against corruption as it will allow the repatriation of corrupt businesspeople who have fled to Singapore.

Indonesian officials had previously complained that Singapore is dragging its heels because it does not want to lose the billions of dollars allegedly deposited by those who have fled to the city-state.

Yeo, however, warned that the extradition treaty alone would not solve the corruption problem in Indonesia as graft suspects may still flee to other countries.

"Recently, some Indonesian legislators and media have given the misimpression that an extradition treaty will solve Indonesia's problem of corruption. This is unrealistic," Yeo was quoted by AP as saying.

"With or without an extradition treaty, fugitives, once they leave Indonesia, can practically go anywhere in the world," he said, adding that funds can be easily transferred electronically.

Yeo said although Singapore supported Susilo's antigraft campaign, the city-state "cannot possibly become Indonesia's law enforcer".

The Attorney General's Office announced plans last week to set up a special government team tasked to hunt down graft suspects who have fled the country particularly to the tiny but prosperous state.

Officials said that the special team would immediately start work once the government concluded talks on the extradition treaty with Singapore.