The British government published on its official website on Wednesday a copy of the extradition agreement signed in London with Morocco on April 15, 2013, which entered into force on December 6, 2022.
The extradition agreement, which MoroccoLatestNews visualized, clarifies areas of cooperation between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Morocco in the fight against crime, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and respect guarantees through their respective legal systems that provide the accused with the right to a fair trial, including the right to be tried by an impartial tribunal.
In its first article, the agreement stipulates that the contracting states undertake to extradite any person sought to be tried or to serve a sentence, while its second article specifies the types of crimes which require the extradition of the persons concerned to the country requesting them.
For an extradition to be lawful, according to the same agreement, the conduct giving rise to the offense must be punishable, under the laws of both countries, with a maximum penalty of at least twelve months (12 months) d imprisonment or any other form of detention, or a more severe penalty or if the person whose extradition is requested has been sentenced by a competent court of the requesting State to a term of imprisonment of four months or more, while the same behavior is imposed and punished under the laws of the requested country with a maximum penalty of at least twelve months’ imprisonment or a more severe penalty.
On the other hand, the agreement specifies the cases in which the extradition of the person sought to the other country is refused. This is the case where the crime of the person sought is of a political or military nature, or based on the will to punish the person concerned because of his race, his religion, his nationality, his political opinions or his gender.
Then, if the person sought has already been tried and convicted or acquitted by a final judgment in one of the two countries or in a third country for the crime(s) on the basis of which an extradition request has been drawn up for judgment. Also, the same agreement makes it possible to refuse the extradition of a person if his crime is punishable, in the country which requested the extradition, by the death penalty, whereas he will not be punished with the same penalty in the requesting country.
In urgent cases, the same agreement allowed the requesting State to request the provisional detention of the person concerned pending the presentation of an extradition request, provided that this was done through diplomatic or by the policeInterpol.
Each of the two Contracting States may, under the terms of Article 22 of the same agreement, terminate it at any time by written notification to the other party. This will terminate the execution of the Agreement, six months after the date of receipt of the notice of termination.
Thus, the agreement bears the signatures of Saad Dine El Othmani on the Moroccan side and William Hague on the British side, in their capacity as Moroccan and British Foreign Ministers at the time of its signing in London on April 15, 2013.