The prosecution of corruption in Africa: challenging impunity through the rule of law

Washington D.C | 14th June 2016

Effective prosecutions for corruption need police, prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges that are committed to and protected by the rule of law. They must act independently of politics, and be free from political influence. They must enable and ensure due process of law in investigations and fair trials before independent courts. Presumptions of innocence and the privilege against self-incrimination must be respected, but not abused and manipulated to derail investigations and trials. All too often they must manage not only domestic demands, but also the participation of international players and pressures, whether from multinational corporations, foreign states or international organisations. In countries where corruption is endemic, these challenges are often exacerbated not only by highly sophisticated corruption networks, but also by technical resourcing limits, nepotism, low wages, staffing and institutional capacity, as well as backlogs of cases before the Courts.

Where the rule of law is fragile and under threat and where institutional constraints are great, corruption often occurs with impunity. This setting creates profound challenges for effective prosecutions

This event brings together international experts on anti-corruption and justice systems to examine challenges in prosecuting corruption in African countries and discuss how they can be addressed.

This event is convened by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and its Global Rule of Law Exchange. Jones Day is the Global partner of the Exchange.

Agenda

17.00-17.30 REGISTRATION

17.30-19.00 DISCUSSION

Linn Hammergren, Justice Specialist
Peter J Ainsworth, Senior Anti-Corruption Counsel, OPDAT/Criminal Division, US Department of Justice
Debra LaPrevotte, Senior Investigator, The Sentry (formerly Supervisory Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Thomas Doe Nah, Executive Director, Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL)

Eric Snyder, Partner, Jones Day (Chair)

19.00-20.00 DRINKS RECEPTION

Briefing

Speaker material:

Deb LaPrevotte presentation - download here
Linn Hammergren - "Justice Sector corruption in Ethiopia (Chapter 5)", in Plummer, Janelle (Ed) 2012. Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia: Perceptions, Realities, and the Way Forward. Washington, DC: World Bank. DOI 10.1596/978- 0-8213-9531-8. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0" see here

Video recording of the conference