The Extradition Act 2003 (c. 41) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which regulates extradition requests by and to the United Kingdom. The Act came into force on 1 January 2004. It transposed the European Arrest Warrant framework decision into British law and implemented the UK side of the controversial UK–US extradition treaty of 2003 before the treaty came into force in April 2007 after being ratified by the US Senate in 2006.[1][2]
Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to make provision about extradition. |
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Citation | 2003 c. 41 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 20 November 2003 |
Commencement | 1 January 2004 |
Other legislation | |
Repeals/revokes |
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Amended by |
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Status: Amended | |
Records of Parliamentary debate relating to the statute from Hansard, at TheyWorkForYou | |
Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Text of the Extradition Act 2003 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
Extradition Act 1989 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to consolidate enactments relating to extradition under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, the Fugitive Offenders Act 1967 and the Extradition Acts 1870 to 1935, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission. |
Citation | 1989 c. 33 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 27 July 1989 |
Other legislation | |
Repeals/revokes |
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Repealed by | Extradition Act 2003 |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
Extradition Act 1873 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to amend the Extradition Act, 1870. |
Citation | 36 & 37 Vict. c. 60 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 5 August 1873 |
Other legislation | |
Amends | Extradition Act 1870 |
Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013 |
Status: Repealed |
Extradition Act 1870 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act for amending the Law relating to the Extradition of Criminals. |
Citation | 33 & 34 Vict. c. 52 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 9 August 1870 |
Other legislation | |
Repeals/revokes |
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Amended by | Extradition Act 1873 |
Repealed by | Extradition Act 1989 |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The act is divided into five parts.
The procedure used by the courts is set down in the Criminal Procedure Rules 2015, part 50.[3]
The act has been examined in two reviews by Parliament. The first in 2011 by Sir Scott Baker[4] making a series of recommendations and the second examination by the House of Lords Extradition Law Committee in 2014.[5]
As a result of campaigning and scrutiny by Parliament, several amendments were made in 2014 in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. These included proportionality under section 21A and decision to try or charge under section 12A.[6]
Territories are designated as Category 2 territories both for the purposes of Part 2 of the Extradition Act, i.e. export extradition from the United Kingdom, and Part 3, i.e. import extradition to the United Kingdom.
These are the countries that the UK presently has extradition arrangements with:[7][8]
Ratification had been slowed by complaints from some Irish- American groups that the treaty would create new legal jeopardy for U.S. citizens who opposed British policy in Northern Ireland.