[ Reuters ] Indonesia, Singapore sign extradition, airspace and defence agreements
Indonesia and Singapore signed on Tuesday a bilateral extradition agreement, a move that Jakarta expects to help authorities in their effort to bring to justice people accused of stashing offshore billions of dollars in state money.
Senior cabinet ministers from both countries also signed bilateral agreements covering airspace and defence in a ceremony aired on Indonesia’s State Secretariat YouTube channel.
The signings follow a meeting between President Joko Widodo and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the Indonesian island of Bintan as part of their annual leaders’ retreat.
Under the extradition agreement, people who had committed 31 types of crime will be liable to be extradited and it will apply to offences committed up to 18 years ago, a statement from Indonesia’s investment and maritime affairs ministry said.
The agreement would also mean that people would not be able to escape justice by changing their citizenship, it said.
The other agreements signed between the countries included one giving Indonesia more control of airspace over the Riau and Natuna islands, areas close to both countries, and a defence agreement.