McEntee signs extradition, legal aid treaties with UAE

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has signed bilateral treaties with the United Arab Emirates on extradition and mutual legal assistance.

The minister said she believes the two agreements, which secured Government approval last Friday, will support tackling organised crime and drugs gangs.

The treaties were signed during a meeting between Ms McEntee and her counterpart Abdullah Bin Sultan Bin Awad Al Nuaimi in Abu Dhabi.

In a statement, she said that "over the past two years, co-operation between Ireland and the UAE on combatting transnational organised crime has been stepped up.

"These treaties cement this successful co-operation, and represent a crucial step in intensifying the combined fight to combat this serious threat.

Ms McEntee added that the agreements "will ensure" that extradition and mutual legal assistance processes between Ireland the UAE "are structured and simplified".

Negotiations between the two states began last year.

Speaking to reporters at Government Buildings on Friday, Ms McEntee said the treaties will target any criminal who is hiding or thinks that they can hide in the UAE.

"This will apply to any criminal who is in the UAE," she said.

"Obviously the Kinahan family and organisation have been based there for a number of years, so without getting into specifics, this will allow An Garda Síochána, following a request from the DPP for charges to be brought, to go to the courts to seek a warrant to then bring that to the UAE authorities and hopefully get extraditions."