US-Taiwan agreement on mutual assistance in criminal matters to be officially signed

The Legislative Yuan on January 16 passed the third reading of the draft Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Criminal and Judicial Matters between Taiwan and the US, and the time to officially sign this Agreement will be decided by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States and the US side.  Major provisions prescribed in the said Agreement to be official signed include, for cases punishable to both sides, search assistance, detention and assistance in interrogating witnesses, transferring the detainee, upon request, to the other country to testify, and that that the country shall not prosecute, arrest, summon the witness or by any other means restrict his/her personal freedom for any of his/her conducts prior to the entry to that country.  Furthermore, we will also undertake law amendments to provide the US with assistance in regard to asset freeze.

Source: China Times 01/17/2002

Translated by Jem Chung