Established Proposal of the Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters



04.06.2009. - Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina established, at its 89th session, the Proposal of the Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. Area of international legal assistance in criminal matters will be separated from the Criminal Procedure Law of BiH by this proposal of the law and regulated in a comprehensive manner in accordance with the practice of the European Union and neighboring countries. Adoption of this law is a condition of the Road Map for the liberalization of visa regime.     

Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters seeks to provide a uniform procedure for all bodies in BiH, at the state level and at the entity and Brcko Distirict level as well, in accordance with the international conventions and agreements to which BiH is a party. 

One of the important novelties in this law is that the costs of extradition and transfer of the sentenced persons are transferred from courts of BiH to the Ministry of Justice of BiH.

Proposal of the law provides the possibility to transfer criminal prosecution to other country for the criminal acts for which the law proscribes prison sentence of 10 or more years, if BiH concludes an agreement with that country.

Law also offers a solution for keeping official records of the penalties pronounced against BiH citizens who were born and living abroad, and on which in Bosnia and Herzegovina, until now, did not have any records.