Mauritius to hand over 32 Indian prisoners

Mauritius Monday decided to hand over 32 Indian prisoners as the two countries signed seven accords, including Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and a Memorandum of Understanding on Preferential Trade Agreement.

The agreements and MoUs were signed in presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam after their extensive talks aimed at giving a push forward to the relations between the two countries.

Under the MoU on PTA, the two countries expressed their intention to enter into the agreement in near future. The MoU was signed by Commerce Secretary S N Menon and Mauritius Secretary for Foreign Affairs A P Neewoor.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Mauritius Foreign Minister Madan Murlidhar Dulloo inked an Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners.

Under this pact, 32 Indian prisoners in Mauritius will be brought back to India to serve their remaining period of sentence.

The two countries also committed themselves to foster and promote better cooperation and coordination among police and investigative agencies in both the countries by signing MLAT.

The treaty, which envisages sharing of information and data relating to crimes and criminals, also was signed by Patil and Dulloo.