Singapore-France Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty Will Come into Force on 1 April 2023

31 MAR 2023

31 March 2023 Posted in Press releases

  1. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (“MLAT”) between the Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the French Republic will come into force on 1 April 2023.
  1. The MLAT provides a framework for Singapore and France to exchange requests for legal assistance in criminal matters with each other. It sets out the scope of assistance that Singapore and France may render to each other, and the grounds for refusal of assistance. The MLAT will cover matters such as obtaining evidence, and search and seizure, amongst others. Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam SC, and France’s Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Mr Éric Dupond-Moretti, had signed the MLAT in a virtual ceremony on 22 July 20201.
  1. Both Singapore and France have now completed the necessary processes to ratify the MLAT, enabling its entry into force. When it comes into force, the MLAT will become Singapore’s first mutual legal assistance treaty since 2005, and Singapore’s first bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty with a country with a civil law system.
  1. The MLAT will enable Singapore and France to cooperate more expeditiously and effectively in the prevention and suppression of crime, and strengthen the strong relationship between both countries.

MINISTRY OF LAW
31 MARCH 2023

1. The press release issued by the Ministry of Law on 22 July 2020 is available for reference here. ↩

Last updated on 31 March 2023