Brazil Ratifies Extradition Treaty with Morocco: A New Step Toward Strengthening International Judicial Cooperation
In a move that reflects both countries’ commitment to enhancing security and judicial cooperation, the Brazilian Senate approved a legislative decree that endorses an extradition treaty between Brazil and Morocco, which was signed in 2019. This treaty aims to organize and expedite the process of extraditing individuals wanted by justice or convicted between the two parties, in accordance with internationally recognized standards.
According to the official news agency of the Senate, the treaty establishes the legal and procedural frameworks for extraditing suspects and obligates both nations to fully cooperate in this area, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement across borders.
The Brazilian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, in a memorandum accompanying the referral of the agreement to Parliament, noted that Brazil’s increasing international engagement, combined with rising cross-border movement of people and goods, presents challenges that necessitate developing judicial cooperation mechanisms with partner countries. The ministries described the agreement as “comprehensive and detailed,” affirming that it ensures requests for extradition are handled in a secure and efficient manner.
The treaty includes several fundamental legal principles, such as that individuals may only be extradited if the acts attributed to them are considered crimes under the laws of both countries (the principle of dual criminality), and that an extradited person may only be prosecuted for the crime specified in the extradition request (the principle of specialty). The agreement also includes provisions regarding mandatory and optional grounds for refusal, prioritizing multiple extradition requests, along with the administrative and technical procedures involved in the extradition process.
In this context, Brazilian Senator Sergio Moro, from the Union Party in Paraná, stated that “this treaty represents one of the key tools in international judicial cooperation, organizing the use of one of the oldest mechanisms for combating cross-border crime, which is the extradition system.” He emphasized that the treaty includes standard clauses for such agreements, making it an effective and reliable legal instrument.
Moro stressed that signing such agreements represents a strategic step toward building a comprehensive system for combating crime and enhancing justice at the international level.
