The Dutch Parliament (the Upper House) approved the extradition agreement with Morocco, which was signed by both countries three years ago.
Under the new agreement, the two countries will be able to extradite suspects and criminals more easily for trial or to serve prison sentences issued against them.
The agreement allows for extradition requests for crimes that are punishable by law in both countries with a prison term of at least one year.
“We take away their safe haven”
The Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, Gerit van Vijl, stated that the agreement will deprive criminals “of a piece of safe haven.”
He added that the included crimes encompass murder, manslaughter, and other violent crimes, as well as money laundering.
However, there is an important limitation: Morocco does not usually extradite its citizens, including those with dual nationality. Minister van Vijl explained that in this case, there is a commitment in the agreement that requires Morocco to transfer the case to the Moroccan public prosecutor for the local trial of the suspects. “This has a strong deterrent effect,” according to the minister.
A big fish linked to Ridouan Taghi
For his part, Dutch MP Rudi Eiljan expressed great optimism about the agreement, saying it “will achieve a lot.” He indicated that authorities could take advantage of it in pursuing the “big fish” connected to organized crime networks, especially the prominent convict Ridouan Taghi.
Among the prominent names is Taghi’s sister, who is believed to be in Morocco. Ferry van Vijl from the Dutch public prosecutor’s office stated, “There are suspects from various criminal organizations that we are targeting living in Morocco.”
Eiljan and van Vijl confirmed that the non-extradition of Moroccan citizens does not necessarily diminish the importance of the agreement because “they do not want to be tried and imprisoned in Morocco,” creating a strong deterrent effect even without actual extradition.
Human rights guarantees and rejection of political prosecution
The agreement includes mechanisms to refuse extradition, particularly concerning human rights aspects. Minister van Vijl confirmed that the Netherlands will always examine whether there is a risk of political prosecution for the suspect before approving extradition.
Member of Parliament from the “Gron Links-PVDA” party, Katherina Mohandis, achieved a majority for a memorandum demanding non-extradition in cases where there are indications of political persecution.
Background of the agreement
According to NOS correspondent in Morocco, Samira Jadir, cooperation in the field of extradition began after the “manslaughter” incident in 2017 at the “La Crème” café in Marrakech, where the son of a Moroccan judge was killed by two Dutch criminals, believed to have carried out the operation on the orders of Ridouan Taghi.
The incident caused a huge shock in Morocco, similar to the shock in the Netherlands after the assassination of lawyer Dirk Wiersum (2019) and journalist Peter R. de Vries (2021).
Despite a period of coolness in diplomatic relations, combating organized crime remained a point of agreement between the two countries. Morocco significantly contributed to the arrest of Taghi in Dubai in 2019. Since 2021, relations have improved, leading to the signing of the agreement in 2023.
The next step
After the approval of the Upper House, the agreement awaits a vote in the Lower House (the Senate). Given the large majority, it is not expected that the council will obstruct the agreement. The Moroccan Parliament had previously ratified the agreement.
