International Justice Consultants
‘Locus regit actum’ Djibouti is the third smallest country in continental Africa, after Swaziland (second smallest) and Gambia (smallest). Its geographic location makes it a strategically important area – bordered by Eritrea to the north, Somaliland to the south east and the Gulf of Aden lies to the east with Yemen less than 27 kilometres…
Great to see the passing of this Bill in the Lower House for the establishment of the Criminal Prosecution Service in Antigua and Barbuda! Criminal Prosecutions Service Bill Passed By Tameika Malone (Antigua Observer) The Criminal Prosecutions Service Bill 2017 has passed its first hurdle, the Lower House with “sundry” amendments. The aim of the Bill is…
After successfully collaborating with key Sudanese stakeholders to produce their own Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) Manual in July – Judges, Prosecutors and Legal Advisors from the Ministry of Justice have now completed their Fiches to assist other States with MLA requests. The preparation of the Fiches was an opportunity to reflect and consider existing domestic provisions…
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack. Over the last month, as part of the Regional EU Law Enforcement Project, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia have produced their own equivalent of the Fiches Belges The Fiches summarise the relevant law and procedure for gathering evidence and…
Ghana plans to be the first developed African nation as part of its 2020 vision. This plan will need to address the claims that Ghana has lost up to 50 billion cedis (approx $11bn USD) in corruption. In the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 Ghana ranked 70 out of 176 countries with a score of 43 (0=highly…
My opening remarks for the ALRIGHT Conference in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – hosted by my good friend Colin Williams – the Director of Public Prosecutions: Hello to you all at the ALRIGHT Conference! I am more than 12,500 kilometres away and I am sorry that I cannot be with you – but my…
“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion“ Although al-Shabaab remains the main terrorist threat in Ethiopia, the impact of global terrorism was experienced, when a video was released by ISIS in April 2015, showing the beheading of 28 Ethiopians in Libya. The Ethiopian Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP), promulgated in 2009 to criminalise acts of…
Sudan was the third leg of the EU regional training to advance international cooperation in counter-terrorism investigations, prosecutions and trials in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHOA). Researching Sudanese law for the training, I read section 27(3) of the Criminal Law Act 1991: “Death sentence with crucifixion shall not be passed except for armed robbery”…
After our successful mutual legal assistance (MLA) training in Kenya the EU team arrived with high expectations in Uganda. We were not disappointed! The delegates drafted their own MLA Manual under the guidance of my fellow French and Spanish experts. The Manual will now be submitted for official endorsement by the Office of the Director of…
After a couple of days back home it was back on the plane for another mission! This time to Nairobi to train Kenyan Prosecutors as part of the EU funded Regional Law Enforcement Project for the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen. The practical training focussed on counter-terrorism mutual legal assistance (MLA) and securing communication…
The Foreign Terrorist Fighters Workshop for Iraq brought experts from around the world to present on the collection of intelligence and evidence. A major challenge discussed was the use of end-to-end encryption. Following the appalling terrorist attacks in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge the use of encrypted devices and messaging apps by terrorists has again been highlighted. Terrorist…
The conflict in Yemen has created a human tragedy in devastating proportions – since the start of the conflict over two years ago, there are 2 million people displaced across the country, with a further 1 million having returned to their homes, but still requiring humanitarian assistance (source: UNHCR) Yemen has been torn apart by…
The 2nd CrimEx for EuroMed Justice was hosted by the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht on 8-11 May. iJust Director Dan Suter presented a preliminary review of the Legal and Gap analyses of Special Investigative Techniques (SITs) and Cybercrime for the Southern Partner Countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestinian National Authority and…
iJust have been awarded a new contract to advise on the preparation of mutual legal assistance Guides for States in the Greater Horn of Africa following the recent Train the Trainer event in Kenya. The Guides will be prepared by stakeholders from the central authorities in country to ensure they reference local laws and procedures….
Dan attended this three day UN workshop in Jordan on the use of comms data intelligence and evidence collection for prosecutions against Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs). Using his mutual legal assistance expertise as a Liaison Magistrate to the U.S. Dan presented on how Jordanian authorities can speedily access comms data through informal and formal channels…
In Kenya for the Counter-Terrorism MLA train the trainer course for Judges, Deputy Attorneys General and Senior Prosecutors in the Greater Horn of Africa. We launched the GHOA MLA website, started the preparation of Somaliland, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti MLA manuals and planned the in country training in June and July to be led…
Dan Suter facilitated a conference for Judges and Prosecutors as part of the EU funded project to support States in their counter-terrorism efforts in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHOA). At the two-day seminar the context of Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA), extradition reform and training needs for each State, was addressed. The culmination of the Seminar was…
iJust are pleased to announce the award of a new contract as part of the EuroMed Justice project. Our Director, Dan Suter, will be drafting the Handbook on EuroMed judicial and law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters – drawing on his expertise on this field for the last 10 years. Dan is already part of…
On a recent assessment of a Danish MFA Illicit Financial Flows and Special Investigative Techniques project in Jordan it struck me how many of the challenges we face as Prosecutors strike a chord wherever you work. This includes resourcing issues, training needs and sharing of information. Although there are not many jurisdictions who face the…
Driving past the old St George’s Hotel, where 1800kg of TNT killed Rafic Hariri and 22 other innocent citizens, I was reminded about the reality of terrorist atrocities. More than 12 years after the attack, the Hotel remains in a dilapidated condition, as a dispute over its future continues. A large sign imploring authorities not…