Sri Lanka among countries receiving UK prisoner transfers under formal agreements

Colombo, March 26 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the countries to which the United Kingdom has transferred foreign national offenders under established Prisoner Transfer Agreements (PTAs), according to official UK Government policy.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice Jake Richards informed UK Parliament that the UK maintains that the removal of foreign offenders with no legal right to remain in the country is a long-standing policy, with such individuals eligible to serve their sentences in their home countries. These transfers are carried out under legally binding bilateral or multilateral agreements that ensure sentences handed down by UK courts are recognised and enforced abroad.

Sri Lanka is included in a list of over 40 countries that have actively received prisoners from the UK under these arrangements. Other nations on the list include India, Pakistan, the United States, and Australia, among others.

Under the PTA framework, Sri Lanka like other participating countries required to enforce the full sentence imposed by UK courts, in accordance with both the agreement and its own domestic legal system. Adjustments to sentences are only permitted in limited circumstances, such as when the original sentence exceeds the maximum penalty allowed under local law.

UK authorities have emphasised that each transfer is subject to a rigorous approval process. Before any prisoner is transferred, the receiving country must provide clear details on how the sentence will be implemented, including release arrangements. Transfers are only approved once the UK is satisfied that the sentence will be properly enforced.