Vietnam learns from Japan's experience in mutual legal assistance hinh anh 1Participants at the workshop (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – A workshop discussing issues related to mutual legal assistance (MLA) in criminal matters was held by the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in HCM City on December 2. 

The workshop aims to review the implementation of the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance 2007, and learn from Japan's experience in MLA in criminal matters.

Participants heard that a number of new requirements for the judicial sector in recent years include electronic data collection, recovery of property acquired from illegitimate sources, and sending witnesses abroad to provide mutual legal assistance.

Nguyen Thanh Liem, an inspector of the department of international cooperation and criminal mutual legal assistance of the Supreme People's Procuracy, said Vietnam has sent more than 1,200 requests for MLA in criminal matters, and received nearly 280 requests of this kind from abroad over the last two years. 

The settlement of the MLA requests from Vietnam in 2022 increased by about 33% compared to the average in 2020-2022, he added. 

Vice head of the department Ngo Thi Quynh Anh said the Supreme People's Procuracy has received active and effective cooperation from domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies in this work, including those from Japan. 

This has contributed to effectively settling domestic criminal cases with foreign elements and improving the efficiency of international cooperation in the fight against crimes, especially transnational organised ones, she went on./.

VNA