(Seychelles News Agency) - The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the signature of an extradition agreement between Seychelles and France to allow the transfer of persons accused or convicted of crimes between the two countries.

A bill is expected to be presented to the National Assembly for approval for this agreement with France, to help each other in criminal matters. This agreement follows the rules set by the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act of 2022.

Vice President Ahmed Afif told reporters on Thursday that the decision is not based on particular figures at this point but on putting in place a legal framework.

“If ever a French national is in Seychelles and France decides to ask for his or her return to face justice, we will have an agreement that will determine under which conditions the government of Seychelles will agree to do so,” Afif explained.

He said that without an agreement in place, this will otherwise be based on discretion or on a decision of which the criteria are not clear. 

“For example, under this agreement, the government says that if the person being requested to be extradited is based on discriminatory basis, we do not believe that these are valid reasons. In the agreement, we will have criteria that must be met - a criminal charge for a criminal reason. It must not be because of a person’s colour, race, political beliefs or sexual orientation,” he added. 

On the question as to why this is being done now, Afif said that the French government always wanted to have this agreement with Seychelles.

“We see it as a step in the right direction because when you have an agreement with a country especially in the European Union it shows you are doing things in a transparent manner. It is not based on the discretion of an authority in Seychelles,” he said.

Afif added that such a country that has such mutual agreement shows respect for the legal framework.

“It shows the willingness to collaborate with judicial authorities in other countries. Today we have many transnational border crimes, and we must have clear agreements to fight against crime. It shows we are collaborating with the countries that are fighting global crimes,” he said.