§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards further bilateral treaties to provide for the confiscation of the assets of drug traffickers.
§ Mr. John PattenThe United Kingdom has now concluded 23 such agreements or arrangements: 20 in respect of the proceeds of drug trafficking and three concerning the proceeds of all serious crimes. Ten of these agreements or arrangements are in force. In addition, the United Kingdom is able to assist 28 further countries in tracing, freezing and confiscating drug trafficking proceeds by virtue of our recent ratification of the 1988 United Nations convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (the Vienna convention). Details are as follows:
(i) Bilateral agreements or arrangements to trace, freeze and confiscate the proceeds of drug trafficking have been concluded with:
- Anguilla
- Argentina
440 - Australia
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Montserrat
- Saudi Arabia
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United States of America
(ii) Bilateral agreements to trace, freeze and confiscate the proceeds of all serious crimes have been concluded with:
- Italy
- Nigeria
- Sweden
(iii) The following agreements or arrangements are in force:
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Gibraltar
- Hong Kong
- Mexico
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United States of America
(iv) Countries which we are able to assist by virtue of the Vienna convention:
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Chile
- China
- Costa Rica
- Cyprus
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- France
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- India
- Jordan
- Madagascar
- Nicaragua
- Oman
- Paraguay
- Qatar
- Senegal
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- USSR
- UAE
- Yugoslavia