Details

Seminar on “Fighting organised crime” with the Office of the Public Prosecutor General in Amman

Published: April 21, 2018

On 20 and 21 April 2018, the IRZ together with the Office of the Public Prosecutor General in Amman organised a seminar on “Fighting organised crime” to exchange experiences on the fight against terrorism, money laundering and human trafficking on a national and international level. The event was part of a project supporting judicial training as a stabilising element of the rule of law in Jordan, which started in 2017 and is supported by the German Foreign Office as part of the Transformation partnership.

The seminar used German practices to show the potential for applying international standards to the fight against terrorism, money laundering and human trafficking. Within these main focal points, the lectures dealt with the applicable legal framework in each case, the role of criminal investigations and the strategies used by both countries to combat terrorism, money laundering and human trafficking.

The Jordanian participants included representatives from the Office of the Public Prosecutor General in Amman, as well as public prosecutors from other parts of the country. The event was hosted by judge Abdallah Abu Alghanam, Head of the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amman. Judge Hasan al Nsour, representing the Prosecutor General of Amman, reported on the investigation procedure and international treaties in this area. Jürgen Maurer, former Vice-President of the Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation), and Hans-Dieter Hilken, former Head of the Crime Control Department at the State Office of Criminal Investigations in Rhineland-Palatinate, were the experts representing the IRZ at the two-day seminar.

The participants agreed on the need for extensive international cooperation when it comes to fighting these transnational phenomena. During the lively discussions, all sides emphasised the need for law enforcement authorities to specialise and the development of cooperation between the police and the justice system.

Tight deadlines for investigations and the large number of people involved make it difficult to solve these kinds of crimes in Germany. According to the participants, the main obstacles standing in the way of dealing effectively with organised crime in Jordan are the long duration of cases and uncertainties regarding areas of responsibility. Effective strategies for dealing with those involved in organised crime would include improving cooperation, joint training sessions for law enforcement authorities, clear responsibilities and legal regulations.

The active involvement of all participants in the two-day seminar was proof that the discussions inspired by the seminar were considered to be enriching. To conclude, the Office of the Public Prosecutor General of Amman thanked the IRZ for the extremely valuable exchange of experiences and expressed great interest in organising more events with a practical focus in this area.