Jordan

Exchange of experiences on “International legal Assistance in criminal Cases”

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Published: December 10, 2020
Graphics: IRZ
Graphics: IRZ
Jordan

Alongside the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, IRZ organised an online exchange of experiences on “International legal Assistance in criminal Cases”, which took place on 7 December 2020.

When it comes to international legal assistance, a close and trusting exchange between the individual states and the relevant national authorities is essential. To this end, IRZ organised this exchange of experiences in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, with representatives from the Judicial Council and the Jordanian international police department also taking part.

The event was led by Sidi Khairy, IRZ Head of Section. Dr. Hasan Abdallat, a judge and Deputy Director General of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amman, was the Jordanian expert at this event. He reported in detail on the legal framework for international legal assistance, extradition processes and national efforts to improve the flow of information at national and international level by making advances in digitalisation, thereby making the international prosecution of offences more efficient.

The IRZ speakers at the event were:

  • Dr. Ralf Riegel, Head of the International criminal law and cooperation in extradition and enforcement division at the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV)
  • Solveig Volquardsen, public prosecutor and desk officer at the BMJV
  • Urs Wäckerlin, a local court judge and desk officer at the BMJV
  • Tobias Lübbert, Senior Public Prosecutor at the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office

As well as the legal basis for international legal assistance, the procedure for extradition processes was also presented. The complex issues of minor legal assistance and asset recovery were another focus of the exchange of experiences.

During the discussions at this event, it soon became clear that the Jordanian authorities are extremely interested in this subject and still have a requirement to maintain international links in this area and to learn from examples of best practices. IRZ therefore aims to continue the in-depth cooperation in this area next year as well.

The event was financed by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).

Mediation training for judges

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Published: November 19, 2020
Graphics: IRZ
Graphics: IRZ
Jordan

From 2 to 12 November 2020, IRZ organised an online mediation training course for Jordanian judges, in partnership with the Judicial Institute of Jordan. During a total of six online sessions, the participants were informed about the basics of mediation and non-violent communication as instruments for resolving conflicts.

The training course was led by IRZ expert, mediator and lawyer Martin Michaelis. He has spent many years working as a trainer and mediator for many international organisations. Martin Michaelis also acts as a mediator in political armed conflicts. During this training course, he drew on a number of exercises, practical examples and discussions to work on the following topics with the participants:

  • What does mediation mean and what are the stages of mediation?
  • The principles and basics of mediation
  • The difference between interests, needs, motives and feelings and their role in disputes and conflicts
  • The role and attitude of the mediator
  • Non-violent communication
  • Conflict resolution

Whilst judicial mediation is practised in Jordan, judges are not required to provide evidence of any mediation training, unlike in Germany. A basic understanding of mediation in Jordan is therefore of social and cultural importance, whereas a structural approach with consideration for specific skills is rare. This means that many civil disputes must continue to be resolved before the courts, which leads to an additional burden for judges.

The online training session provided the basis for a structured mediation process, which will need to be further developed in future. The active participation of the judges in the practical exercises and the open discussion of their views on the content of the training session reflected the importance of this subject for practising judges in Jordan and shows that it should be developed further.

The event was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).

Seminar on anti-corruption in partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice

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Published: November 4, 2020
Graphics: IRZ
Graphics: IRZ
Jordan

Alongside the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, IRZ organised an online seminar on “Fighting Corruption” on 13 and 14 October 2020.

The main topics discussed at the event were the prosecution of corruption offences by public prosecutors and criminal courts; preventing corruption, particularly in state and local authorities; and the role of civil society in the fight against corruption. The following topics were also presented and discussed during the seminar:

  • effective mechanisms for fighting corruption
  • methods of exposing and investigating corruption offences
  • the role of the courts in the prevention of corruption crimes and infringements
  • the legal framework for fighting corruption and prevention concepts

The experts taking part in the event on behalf of IRZ were Wolf-Tilmann Baumert, Senior Public Prosecutor at the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor’s Office, Helmut Leithäuser, Presiding Judge at the Regional Court of Wuppertal and the lawyer Dr Helmut Brocke. They provided the participants with detailed insights into German investigation strategies and prevention concepts, particularly in the area of public administration.

Those taking part from Jordan included representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Judicial Council, the anti-corruption authority, the anti-money laundering unit and the State Security Court. During the discussions, it became clear that the topic of fighting corruption is highly explosive and of great importance to the Jordanian authorities. IRZ therefore aims to continue the cooperation in this area.

This event was supported by the institutional funding provided by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).