| Author (Person) | Banks, Martin |
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| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.11, No.6, 17.2.05 |
| Publication Date | 17/02/2005 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Martin Banks Date: 17/02/05 A REPORT to be discussed by MEPs next week calls for speedier procedures for exchanging information on criminal records. Member states already share information on convictions under a mutual legal assistance convention from 1959 but some governments feel this is not working as well as it should. Under the convention, member states exchange data on criminal records every 12 months but Italian Liberal MEP Antonio di Pietro says this is too long and should take place every three months. His report says that member states' authorities should also, if required, be able to obtain information on an individual's criminal record within ten days, reduced to 48 hours if considered an "urgent and motivated" request. The report is to be approved by MEPs at their Strasbourg plenary next week. Di Pietro is a former prosecutor in Italy who made his name during the 'Clean Hands' anti-Mafia investigations of the 1990s. He said that speedier exchange of data could help in cases such as that of child killer Michel Fourniret, who was sentenced to seven years in prison by a French court for rape and indecent assault of minors. He then moved to Belgium and got a job as a school supervisor without the Belgian authorities finding out about his past. He was re-arrested in Belgium in June 2003 and admitted that he had killed nine people. The European Parliament on 21 February 2005 discussed a report on the exchange of information extracted from the criminal record, drafted by Italian Liberal MEP Antonio di Pietro. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
