§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Turkish, Italian and Maltese authorities in respect of the extradition of Mohammed Abdel Mohem Abbas Aly in the Edgar Fernandes case. [56683]
§ Mr. FatchettIn September my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State visited Turkey and raised the extradition with the Chief of Police and the head of Interpol in Turkey, in Istanbul and with the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara. The Italian authorities are not involved in the extradition process. The Turkish and Maltese authorities used their Missions in Rome to hand over the extradition papers. The British High Commissioner and Vice-Consul in Valletta take every opportunity to raise the case with their Maltese counterparts. The latest occasion was on 7 October, when the High Commissioner made a formal approach to both the Attorney General and the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stress the importance we attach to the processing of the extradition request as soon as possible.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the case of Edgar Fernandes. [56682]
§ Mr. FatchettI refer my hon. Friend to the Statement I made during the Adjournment debate on 15 July 1998,Official Report, columns 549–52. Our Missions in Ankara and Valletta continue to press the Turkish and Maltese authorities to expedite the request for the Egyptian suspect's extradition. On 19 October the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Valletta informed our High Commission that they had received the extradition papers from the Turkish authorities on 16 October. The Maltese Attorney General will now consider the extradition request.