International Co-operation

In compliance with Article 2 of the Federal Law of January 17, 1992, No. 2202-1 on Prosecution Service of the Russian Federation, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation within its competence directly communicates with the relevant foreign authorities and international organizations, cooperates with them, concludes agreements on legal assistance and combating crime, participates in drafting international treaties of the Russian Federation.

Cooperation with the relevant foreign authorities and international bodies and organizations is one of priority activities of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation.

In particular, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation takes part in activities conducted under the auspices of the United Nations Organization (UN), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the association of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Russian Federation, Republic of India, People’s Republic of China and Republic of South Africa (BRICS). Cooperation with the prosecutor’s offices of the Caspian Sea states is being developed.

Representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation participate as a part of the Russian delegations in the sessions and/or working groups of bodies and specialized structures:

UN (Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and UN Convention against Corruption);

BRICS (anti-corruption and counter-terrorism working groups).

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation successfully carries out international cooperation on a multilateral basis within the framework of the Coordination Council of Prosecutors General of the CIS Member States (CCPG).

Since 1995, the CCPG Scientific and Methodological Centre has been operating on the base of the University of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation (earlier – the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation); it prepares and transmits methodological manuals on combating crime on the CIS territory to Prosecutor General’s Offices of the CIS Member States. As a result of decision of the CIS Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of 10.12.2020, the University of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation was granted a status of basic organization for training, re-training and advanced training of officers of the CIS prosecutor’s offices.

In accordance with international treaties and the Russian legislation, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation is a competent authority on extradition, rendering legal assistance in criminal matters and law enforcement assistance, as well as on receiving and handing over by the Russian Federation of mentally disabled persons with respect to whom court ruling on compulsory medical measures have been passed.

Main international treaties of the Russian Federation in this sphere are the following:

the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime of November 15, 2000 and Protocols thereto, namely the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children of November 15, 2000, Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air of November 15, 2000;

the European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters of April 20, 1959 and Protocols thereto, namely the Additional Protocol of March 17, 1978 and the Second Additional Protocol of November 8, 2001;

the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters of January 22, 1993 with amendments introduced by the Protocol of March 28, 1997;

the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters of October 7, 2002;

the Convention on the Transfer of Mentally Disabled Persons for Compulsory Treatment of Mach 28, 1997.

Apart from that, the Russian legislation provides for international cooperation in the absence of into national treaties, that is, under the principal of reciprocity.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has exclusive authority in extradition matters.

International cooperation of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation on rendering legal assistance in criminal matters is another important activity. Today, one of the most significant directions is the cooperation with foreign colleagues on search, seizure, confiscation and recovery of illegal proceeds from abroad.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation is an actor of international cooperation not only in the sphere of criminal proceedings (legal assistance in its broadest meaning), but also in the sphere of law enforcement (police) assistance, and it is a competent authority under international treaties and intergovernmental agreements on combating crime cooperation.

Moreover, in accordance with Chapter 29.1 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation is one of the competent authorities on legal assistance in administrative violations cases.

As for to day, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has concluded 103 agreements and other instruments on cooperation with foreign partners from 78 states.

The Federal Law of 01.07.2021 No. 265-FZ entrusted the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation with the powers to represent and protect the interests of the Russian Federation in interstate bodies, foreign and international (interstate) tribunals, foreign and international courts of arbitration.

General Department of International Legal Cooperation

March 2022