Kathmandu, Feb. 8 -- Officials from Nepal and India are setting a date to sign an Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters, which was initially agreed at the home secretary level meeting in New Delhi in July last year.

After years of negotiations, both sides had agreed to move ahead with the signing of the MLA on criminal matters to address transnational crime, and facilitate information exchange, sharing of investigative evidence, cooperation in prosecution, and coordination in criminal investigations between the two countries' legal bodies. The pact provides a legal framework for both sides to investigate transnational crimes.

In the absence of dedicated mutual legal assistance and extradition treaty, security official...