India asks Singapore to expedite pending Letters Rogatory

India today asked Singapore to hasten the process of giving replies to judicial requests sent by country's investigating agencies.
This was conveyed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean during a meeting here on the sidelines of Interpol's plenary session.
"While discussing issues pertaining to legal cooperation, the home minister said that the pending Letter Rogatory in Singapore should be looked into on priority," a home ministry official said.
India has sent Letters Rogatory (LR) to Singapore in connection with CBI probe in Tatra all-terrain vehicle purchase scam and 2G telecom spectrum scam among others.

Letters Rogatory is a formal communication in writing sent by the court in which action is pending to a foreign court or judge requesting the testimony of a witness residing within the jurisdiction of that foreign court may be formally taken thereon under its direction and transmitted to the issuing court making such request for use in a pending legal contest or action.
Appreciating the cooperation from Singapore in the field of security and police matters, economic and culture, the home minister suggested that Singapore may consider setting up a world class skill development centre in India.

Singh underlined that six fields -- strategic partnership, scaling of trade and investment, speeding connectivity including air and maritime, skill development, smart cities including urban development with waste and water management, state's focus to forge cultural and economic ties -- that need to be strengthened by both the countries.

The home minister said that Singapore is a vital partner and a gateway to ASEAN countries and India appreciates the role played by Singapore in this regard.
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha emphasised on exchange of faculty and training towards capacity building of police officers of India and Singapore. Sinha also proposed signing of an MoU between India and Singapore on this issue.
The Singaporean deputy prime minister while expressing his agreement with all the issues raised by the Indian delegation, extended an invitation to the home minister to visit Singapore.