British prosecutors and lawyers questioned on decisions to extradite
15 October 2014
The House of Lords Committee on Extradition Law will on Wednesday hold two evidence sessions on decisions to extradite.
Witnesses
Wednesday 15 October 2014, Committee Room 2A, House of Lords
At 10.10am
The Committee will question Sue Patten and Nick Vamos of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as it continues its inquiry. They will be followed by a session with two experienced extradition solicitors, Rebecca Niblock and Edward Grange.
Purpose of session
Following on from the sessions in which the Committee had the opportunity to question American legal experts, it will be using this session with the CPS and extradition solicitors to explore how decisions to pursue extradition are reached and how authorities decide where to prosecute multi-jurisdictional crimes, for instance in cases where a crime could be tried in the UK or in another country.
Possible questions
- What proportion of cases investigated involve criminal conduct in multiple countries?
- To what extent do you agree with the suggestion that the US’s approach to extradition is not based on an inappropriate interpretation of jurisdiction, but rather on better resources and a different prosecuting culture?
- If the courts discharge the request for extradition in a case which arguably could have been prosecuted in the UK, what steps are taken to ensure that justice is done?
- Whether the recently introduced proportionality and forum bars will influence prosecuting decisions.