A mutual legal assistance treaty can be defined as an agreement concluded between two countries, in order to exchange and gather information, which will help these countries enforce criminal or public laws.
This is very important. For example, countries agree to share information in order to regulate double taxation issues. Mutual legal assistance between countries can be related to other issues as well.
Assistance may have the form of identifying and examining people, things and places. Immobilization of instruments used for criminal activities can also be a form of assistance.
In some cases, assistance can be denied. This can happen for security or political reasons. In cases when two countries do not punish the same criminal offence in the same way, assistance can be denied.
List of Countries That Have MLAT with the United States
The first U.S. bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty was signed with Switzerland and it came into force in 1977. Since then, the list has steadily increased. The United States has signed MLAT agreements with the following countries:
• Argentina
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Austria
• Australia
• Barbados
• The Bahamas
• Belize
• Brazil
• Belgium
• Canada
• Columbia
• Cyprus
• Dominica
• The Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Egypt
• Finland
• Hong Kong
• France
• Grenada
• Greece
• India
• Hungary
• Italy
• Israel
• Japan
• Jamaica
• Korea
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Morocco
• Mexico
• The Philippines
• The Netherlands
• Panama
• Romania
• Poland
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• Spain
• South Africa
• St. Lucia
• Switzerland
• Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkey
• Thailand
• United Kingdom
• Anguilla
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Uruguay
• Ukraine
• Venezuela
May 12, 2010 at 10:40 am
Andorra tiene tratado de extradicion con España y Francia?
May 12, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Andorra is a signatory to a modified form of the European Convention on Extradition. This document will govern extradition proceedings between Andorra and Spain or France.
Andorran law prohibits the extradition of persons of Andorran nationality.
May 17, 2010 at 6:49 am
I dont see Ecuador anywhere, where do they stand?
May 17, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Ecuador has not signed an MLAT with the U.S., but they have recently doubled the tax on moving funds out of Ecuador from 1% to 2%.
April 4, 2011 at 1:39 am
Is there an MLAT between the UK and Brazil?
April 4, 2011 at 5:03 am
Yes. The Treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed in 2006.