FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1996                           (202) 514-2008
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
       U.S - BRITAIN RATIFY BILATERAL ANTI-CRIME AGREEMENT


     LONDON, ENGLAND -- Attorney General Janet Reno and British
Home Secretary Michael Howard today exchanged instruments of
ratification for a new bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty
at a ceremony at the U.S. Ambassador's residence in London,
England.

     "This treaty will help ensure that those who commit crimes
in either country will be prosecuted," Attorney General Reno
said.  "It will serve as an important tool in the fight against
transnational crime."

     The new Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty will strengthen the
relationship between the Justice Department and the Home Office
and will increase the ability of Britain and America to provide
assistance to each other.  Specifically, the treaty provides a
mechanism for obtaining evidence, including testimony, on a wide
variety of offenses.  It also provides for the freezing and
forfeiture of the proceeds of serious crime.

     
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