Global co-operation and extradition :a comparative study of Saudi Arabian and British judicial and quasi-judicial processes employed in extradition of alleged offenders

Abstract

Is it possible for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia to have an extradition treaty or an arrangement whereby they can mutually secure the return of fugitives? This paper argues that such an agreement between these two strikingly different legal systems is possible. In answering this question, this paper also examines whether they can adjust their extradition systems to accommodate the emerging norms of international law and concerns about human rights. The possibility of a U.K.-Saudi Arabia extradition treaty would signal hope to the international community and could be a giant step toward an international extradition convention. The larger argument in this paper, thus, is that there is a dire need for the international community to forge an international extradition convention.1 By working with and improving the existing United Nations Model Extradition Treaty,2 such an international extradition convention is possible as demonstrated by the very specific case study between the U.K. and Saudi Arabia.