Relationship Details

This letter from the French Ministry of Justice, dated December 11, 2020, is addressed to the U.S. Department of Justice via its Liaison Magistrate in Paris. It formally explains that French law absolutely prohibits the extradition of any individual who was a French national at the time an alleged crime was committed. The letter contrasts this with the practices of Anglo-Saxon countries like the U.S. and clarifies that when extradition is denied on these grounds, French courts are empowered to prosecute the individual under the principle of 'aut tradere, aut judicar' (either extradite or prosecute).