PRESS RELEASE Nr 25/2015
16 June 2015
Fourth Regional Meeting of Prosecutors organized by EUCAP Nestor
From June 15thto 15th, EUCAP Nestor organized the Fourth Regional Conference for Prosecutors dealing
with Piracy and other Maritime Crime. The event was held in Djibouti and was co-hosted by the
Djiboutian Ministry of Justice.
Prosecutors from Somalia – Mogadishu, Puntland, Galmudug, Somaliland – participated in the event in
order to gain “hands on” experience as a ‘Mock’ Piracy Trial was staged as part of the program.
Prosecutors from the Seychelles, Djibouti, as well as Mauritius also attended the event.
Among the participants were the Attorney General of Somaliland, the First Deputy Attorney General of
Somalia from Mogadishu, Professor Wambua from the University of Nairobi and His Honor Judge Dodin
from the Seychelles.
Main topics of the conference were a mock arrest performed at sea, facilitated by EU Naval Force
followed by a staged trial on land.
Discussions on the challenges of prosecuting piracy in domestic courts animated the two day gathering.
The purpose of organizing a simulated trial was to enable the participants to share their experience and
learning in a practical setting. Many of the participants had never prosecuted a piracy case, therefore
the exercise allowed them to experience first-hand some of the issues that would arise in reality. A
prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, who previously has prosecuted piracy cases in
the Seychelles, shared his experiences with the participants.
The three previous Prosecutors conferences organised by EUCAP Nestor in Djibouti, Nairobi and Dar es
Salaam, focused on increasing the knowledge of prosecutors as to best regional practice in dealing with
maritime crimes and in building a network of prosecutors to share experience and information. Utilising
this mechanism, prosecutors have been given the opportunity to consult with colleagues who have
more experience, although in different countries.
Within the spirit of comprehensive approach, the mock arrests leading to the mock-trial were
performed at sea in collaboration with German warship, FGS BAYERN, which is currently deployed with
the EU Naval Force deterring piracy off the coast of Somalia.
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Fourth Regional Meeting of Prosecutors organized by EUCAP Nestor
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EUCAP Nestor – Somalia Office
Press and Public Information Department
CBA Centre, Mara and Ragati Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi
P.O. Box 30475, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254 727 106 645
Email:
francesca.marretta@eucap-nestor.eu
Webpage:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/eucapnestor
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/EUCAPNESTOR
Background
EUCAP Nestor is a civilian EU mission, under the auspices of the Common Security and Defence Policy,
which assists host countries in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean region in strengthening
their capacity to ensure maritime security and in particular to fight piracy.
END
