The mutual legal assistance treaty between China and Cambodia, currently under negotiation as part of the Global Security Initiative, represents a big step toward formalizing bilateral judicial collaboration, said Cambodia’s top prosecutor.
“The treaty will assist both countries to fight the most serious types of transnational crime today, like internet fraud, telecom scams, illicit online gambling, and human trafficking,” said Chea Leang, prosecutor general of Cambodia.
In a joint statement in April, China and Cambodia agreed that security and judicial cooperation will be strengthened, and negotiations for the signing of a mutual legal assistance treaty in criminal matters will be expedited to crack down on online fraud.
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Speaking to China Daily while attending the 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Chea said the treaty will have multiple capabilities once signed and ratified. These include setting up a clear and legally obligatory framework for helping each other with criminal cases, and speeding up the gathering of evidence across borders, the extradition of suspects, and the freezing of assets.
The Sept 22-24 conference brought together around 80 high-level delegations from across the region to discuss various issues under the theme “Combating Money Laundering and Corruption, and Recovering Assets in the Technological Age”.
“At a time when transnational challenges are getting more and more complex, this conference has changed from a place to share ideas into a way to take action that can help set shared policy directions,” said Chea.
Chea said Cambodia, out of concerns over online scams and crime groups across borders, has set up a task force to break up illegal gambling rings, telecom fraud operations, and the networks that help people take part in those crimes.
“Many transnational crime groups have been broken up in specific operations,” she said, noting that Cambodia is fully committed to fighting cyber-enabled crimes through strong law enforcement and working with other countries.
Looking ahead, Chea said the future of Cambodia-China judicial cooperation is both strategic and forward-looking.
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“We have the same goals as trusted partners: to keep the peace in the region, follow international law, and fight criminality that crosses borders,” she said.
Plans for cooperation include facilitating direct collaboration between prosecutors, launching joint training programs in cybercrime and anti-money laundering, and creating shared technological platforms to track complex financial transactions, Chea added.
As Cambodia is fully committed to strengthening its strategic legal collaboration with China, Chea said the two countries can work together to promote the rule of law, openness, and the exchange of new ideas within the courts amid a rapidly changing world.
Contact the writer at kelly@chinadailyapac.com
