Morocco and the Netherlands signed, Monday, an extradition agreement, during a meeting between the kingdom's Justice Minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi, and Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, Dilan Zegerius. This agreement will allow the transfer of a person suspected or convicted of committing a crime from one jurisdiction to another, the Justice Ministry said in a press release. This is an effective mechanism in the fight against cross-border crime, which reduces the risks of impunity and constitutes a key pillar to strengthen the Kingdom's position in the fight against transcontinental crime, the same source added. «This agreement is part of the judicial cooperation protocol between the two countries and reflects the strong historical partnership between the Kingdoms of Morocco and Netherlands», Ouahbi said. Through this agreement, «the judicial process will be strengthened by mechanisms aimed at fighting cross-border impunity», he added. For her part, the Dutch minister underlined that «organized crime knows no borders and international criminal networks continually work to strengthen their illegal practices in arms, drug and human trafficking. They are constantly changing their smuggling methods to transfer illegally acquired money abroad for laundering». «This also applies to our investigation services, which are increasingly working closely with other countries to prevent criminals from seeking refuge outside their borders», Zegerius added. «Through this document, we are further promoting our strong relations with Morocco, and we are stepping up the joint fight against organized cross-border crime», she concluded.
