 |
Singapore, US Sign Drug Designation Agreement
Singapore and the United States signed a Drug Destination Agreement Friday which is said to lay the foundation for future law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.
Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law S. Jayakumar and the US Ambassador to Singapore Steven Green signed the mutual legal assistance treaty which came after Singapore enacted the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act early this year.
It is the first agreement of such kind Singapore has undertaken with another government.
A message from the US Department of Justice for the occasion said that the treaty arrived at after three years of discussions and negotiations will facilitate the exchange of information on drug money laundering suspects and targets, reciprocal honoring of assets forfeiture requests and the sharing of these assets.
The agreement will also facilitate a number of ongoing drug related financial and drug money laundering investigations in Singapore and the region and is expected to result in significant seizures of illegal drug money laundering proceeds in the years ahead, the department added.
Speaking at the ceremony, Jayakumar said the agreement will serve as "an important tool in strengthening the ability of both Singapore and the US in the fight against drug trafficking."
In his Speech, Green said the agreement is a testimony to the strength of the US-Singapore bilateral relationship and to the outstanding cooperation.
In This Section
|