Kazakhstan Ratifies Legal Assistance Agreements with Peru

The Senate of Kazakhstan has ratified three agreements with the Republic of Peru, significantly expanding bilateral cooperation in legal matters. The ratified documents cover mutual legal assistance in criminal cases, extradition, and the transfer of convicted persons and suspects.

The core treaty was signed in Astana in October 2024. Its primary goal is to establish a formal framework for collaboration between the two nations in combating crime and providing legal aid. According to official data cited during the session, from 2020 to 2025, 1,033 people traveled from Kazakhstan to Peru, while 1,027 arrived from Peru to Kazakhstan, primarily for work, business, and tourism.

The agreement details how law enforcement agencies will interact. This includes practical assistance such as transferring detainees, searching for and seizing assets, obtaining financial information, and carrying out confiscations. It also facilitates help in criminal investigations through the exchange of documents and evidence, locating individuals and property, conducting searches, and providing necessary information.

The treaties explicitly outline grounds for refusal to provide assistance or extradite individuals. A state may deny a request if it threatens national security or contradicts its laws. Extradition can be refused if a person risks facing cruel treatment or torture or if there is a threat of the death penalty. Furthermore, a country is not obligated to extradite its own citizens.

A key aspect of the agreements concerns the handling of criminals' assets. While money and financial assets can be directly transferred between countries, real estate and significant property are handled differently. Such assets are first seized and then sold at auction in the country where they are located after a court ruling. The proceeds from these sales are subsequently returned to the state budget.

With these ratifications, Peru becomes the 34th country with which Kazakhstan has concluded such comprehensive legal assistance agreements. The existing network includes nations like China, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States.