Progress Made on Legal Assistance Agreement with India, Preparations Underway for Cooperation with UAE and Other Countries

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam presented the bilateral mutual legal assistance agreement on criminal matters between Nepal and India to the parliament on Tuesday. Officials stated that this marked a significant step forward in the implementation process of the agreement. During the presentation, Minister Gautam emphasized that the agreement aims primarily to facilitate effective and streamlined legal assistance in the investigation, prosecution, and judicial proceedings of criminal offenses between the two signatory states.

“Prior to this agreement, investigating crimes occurring across the two countries, collecting evidence and documents, retrieving assets hidden abroad through corruption, and prosecuting offenders was a significant challenge. Once the agreement is enacted, it will assist in penalizing criminals and recovering assets illicitly gained,” she remarked. Although officials from both countries signed the agreement last Falgun, its implementation had been delayed as both nations awaited the completion of their internal procedures. According to officials from the Ministry of Law, the domestic process in Nepal has now been finalized following the agreement’s tabling in the parliament.

“Parliamentary approval is not required for this agreement; informing the parliament suffices,” stated Vinod Kumar Bhattarai, head of the International Law and Treaty Agreements Division of the Ministry of Law. “India will either present it to their parliament if necessary or confirm that their internal process is complete. We will promptly notify India once the agreement has been tabled here and then initiate its implementation.” Expressing confidence in the agreement’s potential to aid investigations, former chief of Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Hemant Malla, said, “This agreement will facilitate joint investigations, evidence exchange, and handling cases involving crimes committed in one country and concealment in another.”