What is ‘Mutual Legal Assistance’ and why do we need it?

Mutual legal assistance – or simply MLA– is a tool used by authorities of criminal investigation and prosecution to further their investigations and finalize the prosecutions when certain elements of the crime are outside of their jurisdictions and in a foreign country. Oftentimes, due to the globalization of the ‘phenomenon of crime’, the need for obtaining the testimonies of witnesses or physical or intangible evidence situated abroad and serving of court decisions or summons to persons in foreign countries emerge and actors of the criminal procedure is compelled to resort to the mechanisms of MLA.