DILI, 23 March 2026 (TATOLI) – The National Parliament (PN), on Monday, approved Resolution Proposal No. 51(VI)3a to ratify Timor-Leste’s accession to the ASEAN Extradition Treaty, with 53 votes in favor, 1 against, and no abstentions.
The ASEAN Extradition Treaty was signed by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio Hornai, on 14 November 2025, during the 13th ASEAN Ministers of Justice Meeting held in Manila, Philippines.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas, stated that the signing of this accession represents Timor-Leste’s participation as the 11th ASEAN Member State, formalized at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Freitas emphasized that the treaty establishes a unified legal framework for extradition processes among ASEAN Member States, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and combating transnational crimes, including cybercrime, human trafficking, money laundering, and other serious offenses. It defines key principles, procedures, scope of crimes, grounds for refusal—both mandatory and discretionary—and ensures humanitarian procedural guarantees.
The Government supports the ratification, considering it legally sound and aligned with commitments undertaken in the ASEAN accession process.
The Chief Diplomat further underlined that strengthening regional legal cooperation and effectively addressing cross-border crimes requires harmonization of domestic legal frameworks as part of regional cooperation instruments.
With the ratification of this treaty, Timor-Leste marks a new milestone in consolidating its integration into the ASEAN legal framework, contributing to greater regional resilience against organized crime.
Meanwhile, during parliamentary deliberations, the majority of Members of Parliament expressed support for the resolution, recognizing the treaty as a crucial instrument in combating organized and transnational crime among ASEAN Member States.
TATOLI
