By Mersia Aloo
President William Ruto formally opened the 16th Annual General Meeting and Africa Prosecutors’ Association (APA) Conference, which was attended by leaders from all walks of life.
Directors of Public Prosecution (DPPs), Attorney Generals (AGs), and Prosecutors from both state and non-state actors from 43 African countries have been invited to this summit, which is being held for the first time in Kenya.
DPP Noordin Haji, DCI Amin Mohammed, Sebastian Groth, the German ambassador to Kenya, and Henriette Geiger, the EU ambassador to Kenya, were also present.
The conference’s theme—”Strengthening coordination and collaboration towards effective cross-border prosecution of transnational organized crime”—runs from Sunday through Thursday.
speaking at the event,
Haji pointed out that his office is only delegated to answer to Parliament.
“ODPP is independent but answerable to Parliament. We report to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) which is within Parliament”, DPP, Noordin Haji.
He emphasized the necessity of harmonizing inconsistent laws from various nations for successful cross-border prosecution.
Currently, different countries have varied rules, making it difficult to pursue money-laundering and cybercriminals who commit crimes and flee to another nation.
To improve collaboration between African authorities and prosecution agencies, the Africa Prosecutors’ Association was founded in 2003.