Switzerland and Panama to increase anti-crime cooperation
A cargo ship waits to pass through the Panama Canal in January
KEYSTONE/Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Switzerland and Panama are to cooperate more closely in the fight against international crime. After the Senate in December, on Tuesday the House of Representatives unanimously gave the go-ahead for a new treaty. For the first time, requests for mutual assistance can be submitted electronically.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Español
es
Suiza y Panamá reforzarán su cooperación contra la delincuencia
This is the first time that a treaty of this type has authorised the electronic transmission of requests for mutual assistance. To do so, both states must be able to verify the authenticity of the request and have a secure transmission channel.
“The protection of personal data is guaranteed,” said Justice Minister Beat Jans. Panama is already an important partner for Switzerland in terms of mutual legal assistance.
The aim is to simplify and speed up the mutual legal assistance procedure, explained parliamentarian Christian Dandrès for the committee. At present, there is no obligation to cooperate. Joint investigation teams may be set up.
Money laundering and corruption
Money laundering and corruption are particularly targeted. Panama has undertaken various reforms to improve the independence of its judiciary. The country is now focusing on the fight against financial crime.
Like the treaties that Switzerland recently signed with Indonesia and Kosovo, the treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters with Panama is one of a number of treaties aimed at improving the fight against transnational crime.
The treaty will come into force as soon as the two states have completed the formalities provided for in their national legislation. As with other agreements of this kind, the treaty will be subject to an optional referendum.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.