The Philippines and China on Friday formally sealed a pact for that enhanced the two countries' cooperation in law enforcement and criminal prosecution.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that both countries will start exchanging criminal records, sharing information on criminal cases and jointly locating suspects, leads and witnesses in the investigation of crimes by November this year under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
The pact, whose instruments of ratification were exchanged at the 18th Foreign Ministry Consultations between Manila and Beijing on Friday, will allow the country to engage in transnational criminal cases beyond its physical and legal borders, DFA said.
Foreign Affairs assistant secretary Irene Susan Natividad handed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing the documents to signal the full acceptance of the agreement.
The Philippines ratified the treaty last May while China ratified it in 2001, following the signing of the agreement in October 2000. The ceremonial exchange of instruments of ratification in bilateral treaties is considered exceptional, as the act is commonly done only by notifying the agreeing party that internal conditions already allow the full enforcement of a treaty.-The Philippine Star (October 19, 2012 2:43PM)
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