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…

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 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…

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…

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…