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Crime & Punishment of 2015-03-26
Ghana has submitted a declaration to back the resolve of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to tackle the challenges posed by transnational organised crime within the sub-region.
The document was submitted by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, at the ministerial-level meeting of the West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors against Organised Crime (WACAP) in Accra last Tuesday.
The meeting was expected to study the document and adopt it as a guide for co-operation in the investigation and prosecution of organised crime within the sub-region.
Cross-border crime
Cross-border criminal activities, the Attorney-General noted, undermined good governance and security with a negative impact on the rule of law, human rights, and economic activities.
“Local criminal groups have expanded beyond their borders to become regional and international crime threats,” she stated.
Mrs Appiah-Opong said the world faced new challenges that were more complex than multi-lateral and national institutions were capable of managing.
“No single nation can successfully combat organised crime alone; it needs international collaboration to address such challenges,” she observed.
The minister further indicated that even though some efforts had been made by the various countries in response to the growing threat from transnational organised crime, “perpetrators take advantage of the differences among our legal systems, clash of bureaucracies, the protection of sovereignty and in some cases, the incapacity of nations to work together to engage in their criminal activities.”
She, therefore, emphasised the need for co-operation and pooling of resources by all stakeholders, particularly the security and law enforcement agencies of member states to combat such threats.
Information sharing
The minister also called for the sharing of information on criminal suspects in member countries.
“As Ministers of Justice, our ministries play various roles in receiving and executing mutual legal assistance requests. The Ministry of Justice cannot be merely a mailbox through which requests are transmitted. We are expected to take an active role in ensuring that requests are effectively executed,” she reminded her colleagues and stressed that, “the stakes are enormous. We all have a part to play.”
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Representative for West and Central Africa, Mr Pierre Lapaque, also noted that, money-laundering stunted the growth of national economies while fake pharmaceuticals had serious implications on the health of a nation and, therefore, stressed the need for an effective inter-state judicial system to handle transnational organised crime.
About WACAP
WACAP was set up in November 2012 in Dakar, Senegal to provide a forum for practitioners in the sub-region to discuss problems relating to international co-operation in criminal matters such as mutual legal assistance, extradition and other forms of co-operation.
The network also serves as a platform for sharing experiences with the view to strengthening the capacity of members to co-operate in the investigation and prosecution of organised crime.
Crime & Punishment of 2015-03-26
Ghana has submitted a declaration to back the resolve of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to tackle the challenges posed by transnational organised crime within the sub-region.
The document was submitted by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, at the ministerial-level meeting of the West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors against Organised Crime (WACAP) in Accra last Tuesday.
The meeting was expected to study the document and adopt it as a guide for co-operation in the investigation and prosecution of organised crime within the sub-region.
Cross-border crime
Cross-border criminal activities, the Attorney-General noted, undermined good governance and security with a negative impact on the rule of law, human rights, and economic activities.
“Local criminal groups have expanded beyond their borders to become regional and international crime threats,” she stated.
Mrs Appiah-Opong said the world faced new challenges that were more complex than multi-lateral and national institutions were capable of managing.
“No single nation can successfully combat organised crime alone; it needs international collaboration to address such challenges,” she observed.
The minister further indicated that even though some efforts had been made by the various countries in response to the growing threat from transnational organised crime, “perpetrators take advantage of the differences among our legal systems, clash of bureaucracies, the protection of sovereignty and in some cases, the incapacity of nations to work together to engage in their criminal activities.”
She, therefore, emphasised the need for co-operation and pooling of resources by all stakeholders, particularly the security and law enforcement agencies of member states to combat such threats.
Information sharing
The minister also called for the sharing of information on criminal suspects in member countries.
“As Ministers of Justice, our ministries play various roles in receiving and executing mutual legal assistance requests. The Ministry of Justice cannot be merely a mailbox through which requests are transmitted. We are expected to take an active role in ensuring that requests are effectively executed,” she reminded her colleagues and stressed that, “the stakes are enormous. We all have a part to play.”
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Representative for West and Central Africa, Mr Pierre Lapaque, also noted that, money-laundering stunted the growth of national economies while fake pharmaceuticals had serious implications on the health of a nation and, therefore, stressed the need for an effective inter-state judicial system to handle transnational organised crime.
About WACAP
WACAP was set up in November 2012 in Dakar, Senegal to provide a forum for practitioners in the sub-region to discuss problems relating to international co-operation in criminal matters such as mutual legal assistance, extradition and other forms of co-operation.
The network also serves as a platform for sharing experiences with the view to strengthening the capacity of members to co-operate in the investigation and prosecution of organised crime.
