FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AG Thursday, November 13, 1997 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888
U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and Mexican Attorney General
Jorge Madrazo are signing a protocol, or amendment, to their
nations' bilateral extradition treaty, which came into force in
1980.
The bilateral extradition treaty allows for the transfer of
charged or convicted criminals between the two countries. At any
given time, there are hundreds of pending extradition requests in
either direction.
The purpose of the protocol is to authorize the temporary
extradition of sentenced prisoners for prosecution in the
requesting country. The prisoner would then return to serve the
remainder of the original sentence.
Countries that share a border often face legal problems
prosecuting individuals who commit crimes on both sides of the
border.
A fugitive's extradition may be delayed because he or she is
serving a penal sentence in the country from which the surrender is
sought. Such a postponement may threaten the success of the later
prosecution in the requesting country. Witnesses may be
unavailable or have a clouded memory due to the lapse of time.
The protocol, signed today at the State Department, takes an
important step in addressing this serious issue.
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