New Delhi: India will sign with Kuwait an extradition treaty which provides a legal framework for extraditing fugitive offenders including those facing charges of economic crimes.

The Union Cabinet, which met last night (Dec 10, 2003) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, approved the signing of the treaty and also authorised its ratification.

Under the treaty, any person accused or convicted of an extraditable offence, shall be extradited whether such offence was committed before or after its entry into force, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters today (Dec 11).

It stipulated that an offence punishable under the law of the contracting States with imprisonment for a period of not less than one year will be an extraditable offence.

Extradition of own nationals is not permissible under the treaty.

PTI