Mutual Legal Assistance
Extradition
Transfer of Sentenced Persons
Enforcement of Judgments and Confiscation Orders
Other Forms of Legal Assistance

Generally speaking, international judicial assistance in criminal matters encompasses mutual legal assistance, extradition, transfer of sentenced persons and execution of confiscation orders.

Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters includes, inter alia, service of documents and production of evidence for preliminary investigation or court proceedings. Assistance in criminal matters is granted to the judicial authorities of the Requesting State in matters falling within their jurisdiction.

The most important conventions in this area have been concluded under the auspices of the Council of Europe, the European Union and the United Nations. The Nordic countries have their own arrangements. In addition, Finland has concluded a few bilateral agreements with, for example, Australia.

Typical of these and other agreements in the criminal law field is that they envisage a Central Authority in each Contracting Party whose task it is to forward foreign requests to domestic competent authorities and their responces and requests to other Central Authorities instead of. In Finland, as in many other countries, the Ministry of Justice performs the functions of the Central Authority.

Nowadays within the European Union judicial documents are served directly to the person concerned by mail. Requests relating to other kinds of judicial assistance are sent directly to locally competent authorities. The Central Authorities retain only a marginal role in mutual assistance in the European Union.

Traditionally, Nordic cooperation is conducted on the local level with direct communication between the competent authorities.

The European Judicial Network (EJN) was established in 1998 to facilitate mutual legal assistance between the Member States. The network consists of individual persons (Contact Points) designated by the Member States whom domestic or foreign authorities may consult in a concrete mutual legal assistance case. Finland has designated several Contact Points representing the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecution Service and the Police Force.

Updated on 5 April 2006