In partnership with the Supreme Judicial Council and the Judicial Institute of Jordan, IRZ organised a four-day online training event from 21 to 24 September 2020 on “Fighting organised crime”.
The event was opened by the Director of the Judicial Institute of Jordan, judge Ihsan Barakat. The training session focussed on effective strategies for fighting organised crime, which were discussed using examples from the areas of money laundering and the international drug trade. Other topics discussed during the event were:
international legal aid,
offences involving economic crime
measures to combat economic crime
money laundering and the financing of terrorism,
data formats used in investigation processes by police and public prosecutors,
assessing witness statements and
Monitoring international flows of money.
The experts appointed by IRZ were:
Jürgen Maurer, former Vice-President of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA),
Andreas Stüve, Senior Public Prosecutor and
Stefan Schlotter, Public Prosecutor.
They gave the participants a detailed insight into German investigation strategies in the fight against organised crime and explained how the police and public prosecutors work together in their investigations. The IRZ experts also drew attention to the fact that data processing and the resulting flow of information between investigation authorities in particular must be continuously developed to enhance the success of investigations
The liveliness of the discussions and exchanges between the experts and participants is proof of the continued high level of interest shown by the Jordanian institutions in this subject. IRZ is therefore aiming to continue the partnership with Jordan in the fight against organised crime.
This online training event took place within the framework of the institutional funding provided by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).
In cooperation with the Amman Public Prosecutor's Office, the IRZ organised an exchange of experience on the subject of "Combating organised crime" on 22 and 23 June 2019. The seminar was staged with the institutional support of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection.
The seminar focused on the fight against terrorism, in particular the financing of terrorism, and combating money laundering. From the IRZ, the event was assisted by Senior Public Prosecutor Thomas Junge, Berlin Senior Public Prosecutor at the Berlin General Prosecutor's Office, and Jürgen Maurer, former Vice President of the Federal Criminal Police Office. In their presentations delivered on the first day of the seminar, the experts discussed inter alia the German anti-terror strategy and international conventions to combat the financing of terrorism. For the Jordanians, Judge Ahmad Al Qatarneh of the High Judicial Council addressed in his lecture the problem of dealing with minors accused of terrorist acts. Both sides agreed that they did not have any clear assessment or strategy regarding this matter.
The second day of the event was devoted to the topic of "combating money laundering". The discussion focused in particular on issues relating to the specialisation of law enforcement authorities and organising cooperation between the police, the judiciary and the financial sector. The two Jordanian speakers, Dana Junblat and Sawsan Jarrar, representatives of the Jordanian Central Bank who work in the field of financial analysis and combating money laundering and financing of terrorism, related the challenges facing Jordan in this area in very clear terms. These also include compliance with international agreements on combating money laundering.
The very active participation of all participants on both days of the seminar showed that the topics are of major current importance and subjects of controversial discussion both in Germany and in Jordan. Against this background, the IRZ was requested to carry on with and intensify cooperation in this field.
Together with the Constitutional Court of Jordan, the IRZ organised a regional conference on 10 and 11 April 2019 in Amman on “Constitutional jurisdiction: Responsibilities and tools for the protection of fundamental rights”. As well as Jordanian judges from the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation and from other judicial authorities in Jordan, also attending the conference were members of the Constitutional Council of Algeria and of the Constitutional Court of Morocco, members of the Supreme Judicial Council and of the Provisional Authority for the Examination of the Constitutionality of Draft Laws in Tunisia.
The regional conference was opened by the President of the Constitutional Court of Jordan, Judge Hisham Al-Tal. The German Embassy was represented by Dr. Mark Erbel. During their opening speeches, both mentioned the prominent role played by constitutional jurisdiction in a legal system and stressed the responsibility of this court when it comes to safeguarding fundamental rights.
Representing the German side, Prof. Dr. Gabriele Britz, a judge at the German Federal Constitutional Court, and Prof. Dr. Michael Eichberger, a former judge at the German Federal Constitutional Court, reported on German legal practice.
During the two-day conference, the participants discussed the possibilities and instruments for the protection of fundamental rights by a constitutional court. On the second day, procedural restrictions, such as limitation rules, and the restrictions on the protection of fundamental rights in specific circumstances, e.g. where there is a terrorist threat, were also discussed.
The experts from Jordan, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia reported on their own current constitutional court practices and openly discussed the institutional characteristics of the responsible authorities in their own countries.
The lively, animated discussions about the special status held by a constitutional court in jurisdiction and in the justice system and about the court’s responsibility to safeguard citizens’ fundamental rights, showed that the subject was met with a great deal of interest by the participants.
This regional conference took place as part of a Transformation Partnership project on judicial training as a stabilising element of the rule of law in Jordan, which is being supported by the German Foreign Office and coordinated by the IRZ between 2017 and 2019.
