The Ministry of Justice holds a meeting on drafting the amended Law on Enforcement of Civil Judgments. — Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Government Portal

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Justice Nguyễn Hải Ninh, on behalf of the Prime Minister, has submitted the Government’s latest report to the National Assembly, detailing the results of Việt Nam’s mutual judicial assistance activities for 2024, covering the period from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

The report details significant strides in both civil and criminal judicial assistance, though it also identifies some persisting challenges.

In the field of civil judicial assistance, Việt Nam sent a total of 2,843 requests abroad, of which 1,785 yielded results. 

At the same time, Việt Nam received 1,109 requests from other countries and successfully processed 878 of these.

While the number of requests sent and received increased significantly compared to 2023 by 449 and 76 cases respectively, the number of successfully processed cases dropped by 45 domestically and 353 internationally.

Criminal judicial assistance saw Việt Nam sending 385 requests to foreign countries, with 215 successfully processed, while receiving 69 requests from abroad and resolving 55. 

The number of outgoing requests rose by 2.1 per cent compared to the previous year, though the proportion of responses fell slightly. 

Despite a reduction in foreign requests, the overall resolution rate remained unchanged from 2023.

The report also covers extradition efforts, with Việt Nam receiving six requests from foreign governments in 2024. 

Five of these are under review, and one has been forwarded to the People’s Court for further action. 

On the other side, Việt Nam sent 15 extradition requests abroad. Of these, one case resulted in a successful extradition, two were denied, one individual voluntarily surrendered, and 11 are under consideration.

While the number of outgoing extradition requests increased by two from 2023, several were denied due to legal discrepancies or political asylum claims. 

The Ministry of Public Security is currently exploring further measures, such as requesting foreign governments to prosecute individuals denied extradition or imposing other appropriate legal actions.

For pending extradition cases, the ministry is working with international counterparts to expedite their resolution.

The report also highlighted important legislative developments.

The Ministry of Justice, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security and the Supreme People’s Procuracy, has completed drafts for four new laws, including the Law on Civil Judicial Assistance, the Law on Criminal Judicial Assistance, the Law on Extradition, and the Law on the Transfer of Persons Serving Prison Sentences.

These are refinements of the existing Mutual Judicial Assistance Law.

These proposals have been approved by both the Government and National Assembly, and are scheduled for inclusion in the 2025 legislative agenda. The bills will be submitted for discussion during the 9th session of the National Assembly and are expected to be passed during the 10th session.

To further strengthen judicial assistance, the Government has directed ministries to continue negotiating and signing international treaties, providing a robust legal framework for handling judicial requests in all four key areas. It also urged effective enforcement of existing international treaties to which Việt Nam is a signatory.

Additionally, the Government called on National Assembly bodies, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front, and other socio-political organisations to focus on improving the legislative framework, particularly in reviewing and approving the upcoming draft laws. — VNS