(AseanAll) — On March 23rd, 2026, in Dili, the National Parliament of Timor-Leste approved Draft Resolution No. 51/VI (3rd), which ratifies Timor-Leste’s accession to the ASEAN Extradition Treaty, with 53 votes in favour, one against, and no abstentions.
The proposal was approved by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on February 20th, 2026, following a presentation by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai, as part of the process of aligning the national legal framework with the commitments made by Timor-Leste in the context of its accession to ASEAN. The ASEAN Extradition Treaty was signed on November 14th, 2025, in Manila, Philippines, by Minister of Justice Sérgio Hornai and his counterparts during the sector’s ministerial meeting.
This instrument establishes a shared legal framework for extradition among ASEAN Member States, outlining the principles and procedures for surrendering persons sought for prosecution, trial, or sentence enforcement. The Treaty addresses eligible offences for extradition, mandatory and discretionary grounds for refusal, and includes procedural and humanitarian safeguards.
During the plenary debate, the parliamentary groups voiced their support for the proposal, highlighting the Treaty’s importance in strengthening regional cooperation and tackling organised and transnational crime, including cybercrime, human trafficking, and money laundering.
In presenting the proposal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation highlighted that accession to the Treaty “marks Timor-Leste’s first participation as a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)” and that the instrument “establishes a unified legal framework for extradition proceedings among ASEAN member states, with a view to strengthening regional cooperation and combating transnational crime.”
The Minister also highlighted that “the Government supports ratification, with a favourable opinion based on key legal principles, in line with the commitments made for accession to ASEAN, to strengthen regional legal cooperation, and to combat cross-border crime effectively.”
The ratification of the ASEAN Extradition Treaty signifies another step in the process of integrating Timor-Leste into the organisation’s legal and institutional frameworks.
