(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles and France will have a better exchange of information in legal matters after the two nations signed the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) Treaty on Thursday.

The agreement was signed at the headquarters of the Foreign Affairs Department by Seychelles' Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and French Ambassador to Seychelles, Olivia Berkeley-Christmann.

The bilateral mutual legal assistance between states allows countries to combat crime and corruption effectively, and work together to uphold the rule of law by assisting with criminal investigations and preparation of cases for prosecution, among other matters.

The treaty allows both states to harmonise their legal assistance framework to facilitate the provision of information.

Formal talks between Seychelles and France started in 2019 on how to better cooperate when it comes to the mutual legal help in criminal cases that they provide to one another through the negotiation of an MLA agreement.

Cooperation is permitted under the "Seychelles Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act." This is permitted when there is a bilateral treaty between the Seychelles and a foreign state for mutual assistance in criminal matters, or when the foreign state and the Seychelles are parties to an international treaty.

With this agreement, the two countries will be able to help each other with matters such as the exchange of evidence, the execution of searches and seizures, and the service of documents, among others.

The Foreign Affairs Department said in a press statement that the formalised procedures when requesting and providing legal assistance require a high level of communication and cooperation between specific institutions from the respective states.

"As a result, this cooperation will preserve the important diplomatic partnership between France and Seychelles and will contribute to a more globalised approach towards the fight against cross-border crimes," added the Department.

It stated further that the differences in the legal systems of France and Seychelles can create many challenges and subsequently impede the process of preparation for trials. The agreement, therefore, allows France and Seychelles, to harmonise their legal frameworks and streamline procedures, to obtain the common goal of prosecuting crimes.

"As we find our way through the complexities of our world, it is important to find solutions to strengthening MLA mechanisms, as this agreement does, to allow Seychelles to effectively address the challenges relating to transnational and cross-border crimes," said the Department.