THE United Kingdom wants an agreement with the Philippines that will allow sentenced British convicts to go home and vice versa, a Justice official said on Tuesday.

“We met the British consul yesterday and he intimated their desire to enter into a transfer of sentenced persons agreement with us,” Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said in a mobile-phone message.

The two countries will exchange drafts of the agreement once the British request is sent to the Philippine Foreign Affairs department, he said.

Mr. Perete said there are fewer than 10 Filipinos in British jails, citing Consul Martin O’Neill.

He also said they needed to verify the information to determine whether the UK request should be prioritized.

“Our priority remains the United Arab Emirates and other states where many Filipinos work or reside,” he said.

The Justice department concluded transfer, extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties with Saudi Arabia last year.

Mr. Perete said there are 91 Filipinos detained in Saudi Arabia and more than 1,000 are facing investigations for criminal cases.

The transfer deal allows Filipinos sentenced in other countries to serve their sentence in the Philippines. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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