Indonesia, Russia deepen legal cooperation with new agreement

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas signed an agreement on legal cooperation with Russian Prosecutor General Aleksandr V. Gutsan in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday.

Agtas said the pact is expected to pave the way for Indonesia and Russia to exchange information and data, conduct joint research, and facilitate the movement of legal experts between the two countries.

As cited in a statement in Jakarta, he underlined the agreement as a technical derivative of the mutual legal assistance (MLA) treaty signed six years ago.

The minister added that under the treaty framework, Russia has so far submitted seven MLA requests to Indonesia, with one fulfilled, three pending document verification in Russia, one rejected, and two withdrawn by Moscow.

Highlighting broader legal cooperation, Agtas noted that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had recently approved the extradition of a Russian national.

For his part, Prosecutor General Gutsan emphasized that the newly signed cooperation deal carries major significance for lasting ties between Indonesia and Russia.

The agreement was inked while the Indonesian law minister was on an official visit to attend the 14th Saint Petersburg International Legal Forum.

Accompanying him were Law Ministry Secretary-General Rico Afinta, Deputy Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Hartyo Harkomoyo, and Head of the Law Ministry’s Policy Strategy Body Andry Indradi.

*Indonesia and Russia signed the MLA treaty on December 13, 2019, in Moscow, with then-minister of law and human rights Yasonna Laoly representing Jakarta.

Establishing a framework for mutual assistance in criminal matters, the treaty was ratified by Indonesia through Law No. 5 of 2021 and took effect on December 18, 2021.

The treaty provides a legal basis for the two countries to cooperate in a wide range of criminal justice procedures, including investigations, prosecutions, court proceedings, and the tracing and freezing of crime-linked assets.

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Translator: Agatha Olivia, Tegar Nurfitra

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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