Jakarta: The Indonesian Parliament on Thursday ratified a bilateral extradition agreement between Indonesia and Singapore. Jakarta anticipates it will aid in the prosecution of those accused of hiding billions of dollars in state funds overseas in the city-state.

The lack of an extradition treaty has been a sensitive topic for Indonesia, due to the difficulty of apprehending some fugitives accused of embezzling large amounts of money during the Asian financial crisis of 1997–1998.

According to Indonesia, the extradition treaty, signed by the leaders of the two countries in January, will apply to crimes committed up to 18 years ago and subject people to extradition for 31 different types of crimes.

Also Read: As the "zero-COVID" exit becomes complicated, China urges vaccinations for those who are vulnerable

The settlement will also prevent people from evading justice by changing their citizenship, it claimed. Indonesia's Law and Human Rights Minister Yasona Laoli said the law would "provide legal certainty for both countries in the process of extradition of fugitives" after parliament approved the law.

Also Read:  Zelenskyy urges New Zealand to concentrate on the ecological cost of war

According to Singapore, the agreement "will also assist Indonesia in its efforts to prevent suspected criminals from fleeing abroad and to apprehend them in Indonesia".

A task force known as "BLBI" was set up in Indonesia to pursue $8 billion in bailout funds given to bank owners and borrowers following the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, but never was not repaid.

Also Read:  Tom Hanks was also the target of the Paul Pelosi attack suspect, the court has heard

The law has long been a goal of Indonesia.

An extradition treaty and defense cooperation agreement were signed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2007, but the Indonesian Parliament never ratified them.