ATTORNEY GENERAL: EXTRADITION REFORMS WILL CLOSE LEGAL GAPS AND STRENGTHEN JUSTICE SYSTEM

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, July 30, 2026 (SKNIS): Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, the Honourable Garth Wilkin, said the Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will strengthen Saint Kitts and Nevis’ justice system by closing critical legal gaps, modernising the country’s extradition framework, and enhancing its ability to cooperate with international partners in combating serious cross-border crime while preserving constitutional rights.

Leading the debate on the Bill during the Sitting of the National Assembly on Thursday, July 30, Attorney General Wilkin explained that the legislation addresses an evidential gap identified following the implementation of the Extradition Act, 2025. The amendment allows the courts to receive a certified “record of the case” – the internationally accepted format through which requesting states present evidence in modern extradition proceedings – bringing the Federation’s legislation in line with international best practice.

“This bill has a single central purpose Madam Speaker; it equips our courts and our executive to receive and to act upon a certified record of case, the form in which requesting states present their evidence in modern extradition practice,” said the Attorney General.

Honourable Wilkin stressed that the amendments do not weaken the legal protections afforded to individuals or reduce the burden of proof required by the courts. Instead, he explained, they modernise the manner in which evidence is presented while maintaining the same judicial standards.

“What changes is the form in which the evidence may be placed before the court. What does not change is the standard that evidence must meet,” said AG Wilkin.

The Attorney General further noted that effective international criminal cooperation depends on reciprocity among treaty partners, adding that the amendments will strengthen Saint Kitts and Nevis’ ability to honour its treaty obligations while ensuring fugitives accused of serious offences can be returned to face justice.

“Reciprocity is the currency of international criminal cooperation, and this bill puts us in good standing to spend it,” he stated.

Attorney General Wilkin noted that the amendments were informed by practical experience since the passage of the Extradition Act, 2025, consultations with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and best practices adopted in regional jurisdictions such as Jamaica and Guyana.

The Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was subsequently passed, further strengthening Saint Kitts and Nevis’ legal framework for international criminal cooperation while ensuring extradition proceedings remain under the supervision of the courts and in keeping with the Constitution.

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