Extradition has been making headlines for the past couple of years or so, and more often than not, the UAE is also a party to that headline. But what is extradition, really?

On the bright side, extradition is an act of cooperation between nations concerning criminal-related issues. It consists of the delivery of a person by one state to another state wherein that person is accused or convicted under the laws of the requesting country. It is to be surrendered for the said reason of attending trial or serving a sentence. In other words, extradition is an agreement wherein two or more countries agree on mutual collaboration to either return or transfer accused individuals back to the requesting country.

1. THE UAE ATTITUDE AND LEGISLATION ON EXTRADITION

Extradition in the UAE is a well-established concept and has a robust legal framework to support it. It is governed by a series of laws:

1. Bilateral Extradition Agreements: Agreements between two countries.
2. Multilateral Agreements: Agreements between multiple countries.
3. Federal Law No. 39 of 2006: The Extradition Law, on international judicial cooperation regarding criminal matters.

2. COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE BILATERAL EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS WITH THE UAE

The UAE has concluded bilateral extradition conventions with the following states:

• Italy
• France
• The UK
• Denmark
• The Netherlands
• Ukraine
• Australia
• Algeria
• Bahrain
• China
• Egypt
• India
• Iran
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Morocco
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Republic of Korea
• Republic of Kazakhstan
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Spain
• Tunisia

3. SAMPLES OF MULTILATERAL TREATIES

One such multilateral agreement would be the Riyadh Arab Convention on Judicial Cooperation of 1983, between the various GCC and Middle Eastern states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. Most the Arab countries have signed it, including Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.

4. EXTRADITION IN THE ABSENCE OF AGREEMENTS

In the absence of an extradition agreement between the UAE and a foreign country, UAE Extradition Law can be applied.

5. GENERAL EXTRADITION REQUIREMENTS

Extradition requests are subject to certain requirements both in terms of documentation as well as the underlying offence. On the matter of extradition, UAE Extradition Law, under Federal Law No. 39 of 2006, states that the UAE can approve an extradition request if:

1. The offense is punishable with imprisonment for a period of at least one year in the requesting party.
2. The sentence, which the accused or convict has to undergo, should be at least six months.
3. There is no requirement that the alleged offense shall also be treated as a crime in both the countries concerned.
4. There is also no requirement that the elements constituting the crime need to be the same.
5. The name of the offense need not be the same.

6. EXTRADITION REQUESTS – CHALLENGES

Extradition requests in the UAE can be challenged on the following basis:

1. Procedural Issues. Lack of sufficient documentation or poorly translated.
2. Lack of Jurisdiction. The requesting state does not have jurisdiction over the requested person.
3. Expiry of Statute of Limitations.
4. Prohibited Punishments. Punishment in the requesting state is prohibited by UAE laws.

7. EXTRADITION EXCEPTIONS

The following shall be excluded from extradition:

1. If the requested person is of UAE nationality.
2. If under the law of the UAE that is applicable to the case.
3. The offense is political, excluding terrorist crimes, war crimes, genocides, and aggression crimes against the government.
4. If the offense is in respect of military duties.
5. If the offense is based on racial, religious, national, or political discrimination.
6. If the person was investigated or tried in the UAE for the same offense.
7. In cases where a person has already been tried and acquitted or convicted and the sentence has been completely executed.
8. If the criminal case is discharged or if the sentence has become barred by time.
9. If a person may be subjected to torture or inhuman treatment.

8. RECENT EXAMPLES OF EXTRADITION REQUESTS IN THE UAE

Within the last three years, the UAE has dealt with various extradition requests, including:

• Denmark: A request to extradite one of its citizens due to tax fraud in 2022.
• France: A request for extradition on drug-dealing and money-laundering charges in 2021.
• Italy: A request for extradition on murder charges in 2022.
• Albania: A request for extradition on murder and illegal firearm possession charges in 2022.
• South Africa: A request for extradition for money laundering, fraud, and corruption in 2023.
• In some cases, it was accepted, such as the request of Denmark, while in others, like South Africa, it was refused because of incomplete documentation.

9. CONCLUSION

The UAE is getting increasingly engaged in foreign extradition cases. These are increasingly expected given that a representative of the UAE chairs Interpol and allows red notices based on requests for extradition.

Hear more on our firm’s extradition podcast: https://lylawyers.com/podcast/extradition-laws-in-the-uae/