A first virtual exchange of experience on the topic of public procurement law and the lawful award of public contracts was held on 22 June 2022 in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice.
The Jordanian Ministry of Justice has been working on reforming the legal framework of public procurement law since 2019. It informed IRZ of its significant need for counselling on this topic as early as 2021.
The event specifically addressed the communication of skills and competencies in the requirements of public procurement law and the award of public contracts. In the long term, this is intended to contribute to strengthening transparency in the social market economy structures.
On the Jordanian side, Ms Wafaa Sami Abu Zaid, Head of Department for Procurement Law at the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, reported on the current guidelines and processes in public procurement law. She also discussed the structural changes that have been implemented so far, as well as the monitoring system and emerging challenges.
An expert on public procurement law from the Higher Regional Court of Cologne took part in the seminar on behalf of IRZ and gave a talk on the public procurement procedure and the awarding of public contracts in Germany, the content of contracts between public authorities and private-sector companies and the connection between public procurement law and competition.
During the discussions, the participants established the differences and similarities between the German and Jordanian approaches in the area of public procurement law, giving special consideration to the legal framework and public procurement procedures. They also discussed aspects of drafting framework agreements and dealing with public tenders. There is a need to initiate sweeping reforms of procedures in Jordan and to improve overall transparency. The talk by the German expert was brought to a successful conclusion by suggestions and recommendations on methods to manage the procurement process.
The lively discussion and exchange of experience between all participants demonstrates the significant interest in this topic on the Jordanian side. IRZ therefore intends to continue and build on the cooperation in this field with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice.
IRZ organised a virtual exchange of experience on the fight against tax evasion and money laundering on 7 July 2022 in cooperation with the Jordanian Judicial Council and the Judicial Academy. The event was held with institutional funding from the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Participants on the Jordanian side were judges at various courts and representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office specialised in tax law.
The following topics were discussed at the event:
methods that the tax authorities and Public Prosecutor’s Office can use to uncover tax evasion
procedures and legal mechanisms for prosecuting tax evasion
legal measures for preventing tax evasion.
On the Jordanian side, Mr Hussein Abu Al-Samen, President of the Court of Appeal, gave a presentation on the measures to combat tax evasion in Jordan. He referred to the amendments to the Jordanian laws on the collection of income and sales tax and emphasised the immense importance of enabling access to the information held by the financial authorities. Moreover, he addressed the role of public relations in tax matters and the importance of educating taxpayers. Citizens are more willing to pay their taxes if the state uses these revenues efficiently and for the common good.
Dr Michael Nehring, judge at the Regional Court of Bonn, and Mr Stefan Schlotter from the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office represented IRZ at the event. They discussed the situation in Germany and outlined the instrument of voluntary disclosure. Their talks also dealt with the specialised public prosecutor’s offices for capital market offences and the legal measures to prevent tax evasion.
IRZ is planning additional events on these issues in cooperation with its Jordanian partner institutions to reflect the significance and topicality of this topic.
In cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, IRZ organised an online exchange of experience on 23 May 2022, on protection of human rights and the right of access to information.
The group of participants from Jordan constituted representatives of the Human Rights agency in the Jordanian Ministry of Justice as well as of various courts.
The following topics, among others, were the focus of the exchange:
Overall concept of human rights policies and mechanisms for protection of human rights in Jordan: The work of the Jordanian Ministry of Justice
Implementation of human rights obligations in German law
Preparation and review of the periodic human rights report of the Federal Government
The right of access to information: Inspection of records, freedom of information and transparency
Mr. Sidi M. O. Khairy, Head of Section for the Middle East (IRZ) opened the seminar. On the Jordanian side, the Head of the Human Rights agency in the Ministry of Justice, Dr. Ms. Hanan Al-Khalayleh, conducted the event with a lecture. She showcased the work of the Ministry in the field of protection of human rights and gave details of the most important reforms and reform plans in this area. For instance, the Jordanian Criminal Code has been reformed and emphasis was placed on the improvement of the conditions in prisons and the development of rehabilitation proposals for the inmates.
In this context, the use of alternatives to imprisonment (e.g. use of electronic shackles) was also discussed a lot to relieve the penal system. Moreover, the accused must have better legal aid. Also, the topic of combating human trafficking and training the judiciary and Public Prosecutor’s Office in this context is a major topic in Jordan.
From the German side, the role and tasks of the Federal Ministry of Justice in implementing human rights obligations were presented. Furthermore, a representative of the Federal Foreign Office dwelt on the preparation and review of the periodic human rights report of the Federal Government.
Moreover, the right of access to information was discussed as a basic right. Here, the focus was on the development of the right to inspect records, of the freedom of information and of the transparency law.
The event was conducted as part of institutional support by the Federal Ministry of Justice and formed the first exchange of experiences on this topic.
IRZ will continue and intensify its longstanding cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and other judicial institutions in Jordan even in the coming months. Follow-up events on different sub-aspects are also planned in this context.
