European arrest warrant for minors in the offing

European arrest warrant for minors in the offing

A European arrest warrant could soon be issued for minors aged at least 16 years when they commit their crimes, who are abroad and are targeted by a preventive or definitive measure placing them in an educational penitentiary facility. The prosecutor’s office would be able to issue the warrant based on a decision by a juvenile court or juvenile judge.

The new provisions are among various penal arrangements in a draft bill approved on Friday by Belgium’s Cabinet of Ministers.

The aim of the legislative amendment is to make it possible to request the repatriation of minors who the commit extremely serious crimes in Belgium, but are in another European Union member state.

The complicated procedure required to have Adam Giza extradited from Poland to Belgium after he murdered Joe Van Holsbeeck had clearly shown that a new legal framework was required. This adaptation of the European warrant would enable faster extradition.


The Brussels Times


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.