African prosecutors united against organised crime

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

African prosecutors united against organised crime

2:38 CAT | 25 Oct 2019

Photo: O País

Prosecutors in Africa believe the continent is capable of tackling organised crime, a meeting of the Strategic Committee of the Association of African Prosecutors (APA) in Maputo has said.

Corruption, drug trafficking, human trafficking and terrorism, as well as money laundering, are among the crimes the continent has seen increase in scale and sophistication of late. African prosecutors are aware of the challenges, and gathered in Maputo to exchange experiences and outline ways of addressing the challenges.

“It is important that we discuss these problems, which affect the continent deeply – especially transnational crimes,” Agostinho Rituto of the Mozambican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) says.

Rituto acknowledged that Mozambique in particular faces serious problems in organized crime, spurring prosecutors to redouble their efforts.

Egyptian public prosecutor Mohamed Khalaf believes that, while organized crime is on the rise in Africa, advances in the fight against it must also be acknowledged.

“I think we have established a platform of good practice across the continent. In this case, the prosecutors’ association, which has been working hard to combat corruption and terrorism on the continent,” Khalaf says.

The Maputo Strategic Committee meeting, which began on Wednesday and ends today, is preparing the ground for a general meeting of the APA, a much larger body, which is to be held in Rwanda later this year.

By Romeo Carlos

Source: O País