Palace: RI-Singapore Extradition Treaty Strengthens Law Enforcement

Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana delivered a press statement at the State Secretariat Building, Jakarta, on Friday (2/2/2024). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus)

JAKARTA - Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana said the extradition agreement between Indonesia and Singapore, which took effect, could strengthen the reach of law enforcement efforts.

"Through this agreement, Indonesia can strengthen the reach of national law enforcement efforts and eradicate criminal acts," said Ari Dwipayana in a written statement quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, March 23.

Ari explained that the Indonesia-Singapore extradition agreement is a legal framework for submitting criminals (extradition) between the two countries, which has been ratified into Law Number 5 of 2023.

Basically, he said, the agreement applies to extradite the perpetrators of 31 types of criminal acts, including criminal acts of corruption, money laundering, bribery, narcotics, terrorism, and terrorism financing.

"The agreement can apply retroactively for the past 18 years, in accordance with the maximum expiration provisions in Article 78 of the Criminal Code," he explained.

Previously, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong through an upload on his official Instagram account stated that he had contacted President Joko Widodo by telephone to welcome the start of the implementation of three agreements between Indonesia and Singapore.

The three agreements are related to airspace, extradition and military training.

Based on information uploaded on the official website of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, simultaneously on March 21, 2024, Indonesia and Singapore have imposed three agreements, namely the Airspace Service Adjustment Agreement (Re-Allignment Flight Information Region/FIR), Defense Cooperation Agreement/DCA) and Extradition Treaty (Extradition Treaty).

DCA was first signed on April 27, 2007, in Tampak Siring, Bali by the Minister of Defense of the two countries. Meanwhile, the FIR and Extradition Agreements were signed when theLeaders' Retreat in Bintan on January 25, 2022.