Over 35% increase in mutual assistance, extradition requests received by Singapore

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) received 275 mutual legal assistance and extradition requests from its international counterparts in 2024, an increase of more than 35 per cent compared with the previous year.

Attorney-General Lucien Wong said this on Jan 13 at an annual ceremony to mark the opening of the legal year.

As a major financial hub, Singapore receives many requests for assistance involving funds or assets in its financial system from international counterparts, he said.

“We do have a very heavy caseload relative to our size,” he said.

In 2022 and 2023, the AGC – the Republic’s central authority for mutual legal assistance and extradition matters – received around 200 new mutual legal assistance and extradition requests for each of these years. The number grew to 275 in 2024.

In his speech, Mr Wong focused on the work of his chambers in the international arena, touching on climate change, the digital economy and battling transnational crime.

He added that Singapore entered into new mutual legal assistance treaties with South Korea and Vietnam in 2024.

“Singapore maintains a zero-tolerance policy against transnational crimes, and we stand ready to provide assistance to our international counterparts, to the fullest extent permissible under our laws,” said Mr Wong.

He also recalled how law enforcement agencies undertook a large-scale, islandwide raid and seized more than $3 billion in assets from 27 suspects in 2023.

Ten of the suspects, who are originally from China and held multiple passports, have since been convicted of money laundering charges and surrendered around $944 million in assets.

Of the 17 suspects who have left Singapore, 15 of them surrendered around $1.85 billion worth of assets to the state. The assets linked to the remaining two suspects, amounting to $144.9 million, remain seized or prohibited from disposal.

“Our message is clear – Singapore does not tolerate money laundering, and ill-gotten gains will be disgorged from money launderers,” Mr Wong said.

He also highlighted how his officers had contributed to the development of international law and norms in relation to climate change.

This included making arguments in two major sets of proceedings regarding the obligations of states in respect of climate change – one before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in 2023, and the other before the International Court of Justice in 2024.

Legal service officers also assisted in the negotiations and conclusion of agreements that set out legally binding frameworks for the generation and transfer of carbon credits between Singapore and other countries – one with Papua New Guinea and the other with Ghana.

Mr Wong said legal service officers have also been contributing to the development of international standards and norms in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Some of his officers seconded to the Infocomm Media Development Authority helped to draft a framework that provides practical suggestions for policymakers and the industry on how to build a trusted ecosystem for generative AI, he said.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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