Lower House passes draft extradition treaties with Romania, Cyprus

AMMAN — The Lower House on Monday passed several draft laws, including bills ratifying extradition treaties between Jordan and Romania, and Jordan and Cyprus.

During a session chaired by Lower House Speaker Ahmad Safadi and attended by Cabinet members, lawmakers noted that the draft legislation would enhance cooperation with Romania and Cyprus in combating “serious” crime, including organised crime. The extradition treaties would ensure that criminals do not escape justice and facilitate the extradition of criminals in accordance with constitutional principles.

During the session, Justice Minister Ahmad Ziadat said that the treaty with Romania only entails the extradition of a criminal to their home country for trial, rather than their extradition to be tried in another country, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

President of the Lower House Legal Committee MP Ghazi Thneibat further affirmed that under the agreements, Jordanian citizens will not be subject to extradition to neither Romania nor Cyprus for a crime committed in either country. Instead, the agreements aim to ensure that a criminal who leaves Jordan can be returned to the Kingdom to stand trial.

The House also endorsed the draft law amending the Civil Status Law as referred by the Legal Committee, before debating a bill that would amend the land registration fees law for 2022, as referred by the Lower Chamber Economy and Investment Committee.