Mutual legal assistance
Information for competent authorities abroad (and in the UK) about obtaining evidence within the UK (or abroad) to assist in criminal investigations or proceedings.
From: Contents
Mutual legal assistance (
MLA) is a method of cooperation between states for obtaining assistance in the investigation or prosecution of criminal offences.
MLA is generally used for obtaining material that cannot be obtained on a police cooperation basis, particularly enquiries that require coercive means. Requests are made by a formal international Letter of Request (
LOR). In civil law jurisdictions these are also referred to as ‘Commission Rogatoire’. This assistance is usually requested by courts or prosecutors and is also referred to as ‘judicial cooperation’.
European Investigation Orders
European Investigation Orders can no longer be issued to obtain evidence located in the UK or in EU member states for UK investigations.
From: Contents
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The UK left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020. After the end of the transition period at 11pm on 31 December 2020, the following no longer apply to the UK:
the European Investigation Order (EIO)
the 2000 Convention and related Protocol on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters
Therefore an EIO can no longer be issued to obtain evidence located in the UK or to obtain evidence located in EU member states for use in UK criminal investigations or proceedings.
Hungary sentences Islamic State terrorist commander with Malta link to life imprisonment
Hungarian court finds Hassan Farhoud guilty of crimes against humanity and multiple counts of murder, at least one of which involved beheading
10 December 2020, 2:22pm
by Matthew Agius
An Islamic State terrorist commander has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary with the help of the Maltese police’s Counter Terrorism Unit.
In a non-final ruling, a Hungarian court found 27-year-old Hassan Farhoud guilty of crimes against humanity and multiple counts of murder, at least one of which involved beheading.
Farhoud was arrested in Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport in 2018, over forged documents.