March 6, 2019 - British Minister for Europe Sir Alan Duncan wrote on his Twitter that two agreements on extradition and the fight against smuggling of cigarettes were signed with Montenegrin Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegrin Government, Zoran Pazin.
“At the 2018 #WBSummitLondon, we committed to combating organized crime in the #WesternBalkans. Today, Deputy PM Pazin & I signed two UK-Montenegro agreements, one on extradition and one on tackling cigarette smuggling," wrote Sir Alan Duncan.
In yesterday's statement, the Government of Montenegro informed Pazin and Duncan signed a bilateral agreement extending the European Convention on Extradition and facilitating its implementation, while the consensus on combating smuggling of cigarettes was not mentioned.
In its statement, the Montenegrin Government states:
"Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pazin met in London with British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan.
Montenegro and the United Kingdom are resolved to steadfastly oppose organized crime and severe criminal offenses through closer cooperation; it was noted at the meeting.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Duncan signed a bilateral agreement, complementing the European Convention on Extradition and facilitating its application.
The main novelty of this agreement is that Montenegro and the United Kingdom express their readiness to extradite their citizens to one another if one country seeks them for serious crimes for which a prison sentence of five or more years has been foreseen.
"This agreement unambiguously indicates that there is a high degree of mutual respect and trust between Montenegro and the United Kingdom, with the conviction that the legal systems of both states will guarantee the right to a fair trial of every person who is extradited, respecting the presumption of innocence," DPM Pazin emphasized.
The agreement states that the parties are "aware of the guarantee of the right to a fair trial of the accused within their legal systems, including the right to trial before an impartial tribunal established by law."
DPM Pazin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Minister Duncan and Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride to further deepen cooperation in the area of security, the rule of law and the joint fight against organized crime, especially against various types of financial crime," concludes the statement on the Government website Montenegro.
The same announcement was published on the site of the Ministry of Justice.
Source: Vijesti
