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- Published: June 18, 2019
Seminar on the code of criminal procedure with the Bar Association of Albania
In partnership with the Bar Association of Albania and the German Federal Bar Association, represented by its Managing Director, Dr. Veronika Horrer, the IRZ organised a seminar on the code of criminal procedure for lawyers on 4 and 5 June 2019 in Tirana.
On the first day of the seminar, Albanian lawyer Arben Prifti gave an introduction to the 2017 reform of the code of criminal procedure in Albania. He explained that some uncertainties had arisen as a result of the reform. These concern, for example, onus of proof and appraising evidence, as well as the rights of the accused and the responsibilities of the judicial authorities. The explanations of Arben Prifti were followed by lively discussions involving the participants.
The German speakers, lawyers Anke Müller-Jacobsen and Stephan Schneider from Berlin, joined in the discussions and presented legal standards in Germany. They also gave lectures on the following topics:
- Investigation proceedings in Germany,
- court proceedings under criminal law and
- appeals, reviews and the reopening of proceedings in Germany.
The second day of the seminar was opened by Maksim Haxhia, President of the Bar Association of Albania. After he had addressed the 80 or so participants, Albanian experts looked in more detail at topics that had already been discussed the previous day, as well as reporting on Albanian legal standards, which do not exist as such in Germany:
- The preliminary meeting, including the role of judges,
- alternative proceedings in Albania and
- accelerated proceedings.
As had been the case the previous day, Anke Müller-Jacobsen and Stephan Schneider put forward the German point of view to mirror the Albanian contributions and thereby made a critical contribution towards the mutual understanding of the legal situation and the success of the event.