The Somali Legal System for the Maritime Police – EUCAP Nestor Workshop held in Mogadishu

Horndiplomat -From September 18th to 19th, EUCAP Nestor organised a workshop on Maritime Legislation. Four Somali Prosecutors – two of which were female – and four Somali Police Officers attended the event, hosted at the Mission’s HQ in Mogadishu.

The Workshop focused on enhancing the cooperation and networking between Somali Prosecutors and Officers from the Maritime Police Unit (MPU).
The seminar was opened by the Head of Mission Maria-Cristina Stepanescu, who welcomed the participants along with the Head of Operations, the Mission’s Legal Advisor, who works with Somali Prosecutors on a weekly bases and the Maritime Advisor, who mentors the MPU officers.
Topics covered over the two-day gathering spanned from basics of Legal Systems, theoretical aspects of relevant maritime legislation, to practical aspects of investigation and prosecution of maritime crimes. Other subjects included pirate’s approach to the ships, merchant vessel best practices, and challenges in evidence handling and detention on board.
Real-case scenarios of maritime incidents were presented to the participants who were invited to actively engage in discussions and confront ideas on the best ways of applying legal procedures.

At the end of the closing ceremony, EUCAP Nestor donated copies of the Somali Penal Code and relevant Somali Maritime Legislation digital copies on USB sticks to all participants.