Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD)

The legal title of the Home Secretary, who is responsible for the certification of extradition requests and the ordering of extradition under Part 2 of the 2003 Act. The SSHD, on receipt of the extradition request by the Home Office, will consider whether the request is valid (in that it is sought for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing the Requested Person and that it has been made by a competent authority). If deemed valid the SSHD will certify the request and ask the court to issue and arrest warrant. The court, if satisfied that the procedural requirements for extradition are met and none of the bars to extradition are present and that extradition is not incompatible with the Requested Person’s ECHR rights will send the case back to the SSHD to order extradition.