CABINET approved the ratification of the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty which was signed by CARICOM member states at the 38th Regular Meeting of Heads of States in July 2017 in Grenada.

This was announced by Minister of State Joseph Harmon on Thursday during his post-cabinet press briefing. Harmon explained that the objective of this treaty is to establish within the Caribbean Community a system of arrest and surrender of requested persons, for the purposes of conducting a criminal prosecution for an applicable offence; or executing a custodial sentence where the requested persons have fled from justice after being sentenced for an applicable offence.

He said that the treaty required three member states to sign for its entry into force and Guyana having received the approval of cabinet will be the signatory of the treaty. The treaty is one of the regional security instruments that was formulated to enhance cooperation between member states in the fight against crime, and to reduce the complexity, cost and delays in the existing extradition arrangements inherent in the region.
The Caribbean Arrest Treaty was formally signed onto in July 2017.