Transnational organised crime discussed at MERCOSUR Public Prosecutors meeting

Guyana’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, recently attended the 31st Specialised Meeting of Public Prosecutors of South American trade bloc, the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) in Asunción, Paraguay.
The three-day event, held from June 21 to June 23, addressed the thematic and technical areas of Transnational Organised Crime, International Legal Cooperation in Criminal Matters, and Fiscal Security.

The meeting also discussed political aspects related to the Protocol on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters called the “Protocol of San Luis”, Agreement on Arrest Warrants and Surrender Procedures between the MERCOSUR States and the Associated States.
Guyana is one of the seven Associated States, the others are Suriname, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Bolivia.
The full members of the South American regional group are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
During the Meeting, Paraguay’s Attorney General Sandra Quinonez Astrgarraga unveiled a commemorative plaque in memory of former Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, who was shot and killed while on his honeymoon in Colombia in May this year.
MERCOSUR is a regional integration process, initially established by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and subsequently joined by Venezuela and Bolivia. Its main objective has been to promote a common space that generates business and investment opportunities through the competitive integration of national economies into the international market. (G1)