SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) to the Attorney-General: What international efforts has the Attorney-General recently participated in to foster increased cooperation in combating transnational criminal offending?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General): Last week I attended a meeting in Washington with the Attorneys-General of the United States, England and Wales, Canada, and Australia. This grouping of common law countries seeks to share ideas and deal with issues of mutual concern, including countering violent extremism and organised crime, and encouraging closer legal cooperation. As part of the meeting, I led a discussion on cooperation in international criminal law proceedings. The discussion explored the possibility of improving cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Simon Bridges: What progress was made during the recent quintet meeting?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: In November 2009 the Attorneys-General agreed to work together this year on a framework for cooperating in combating organised crime. At last week’s meeting, the Attorneys-General discussed a multilateral declaration of understanding to give effect to this objective. The declaration is intended to facilitate better coordination in shaping organised crime policy at both the domestic and international levels, the sharing of criminal intelligence, and assistance in organising criminal investigations and prosecutions.
