Da Nang, September 08, 2022, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) - Viet Nam Program in collaboration with Department of International Cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (Department 13), Supreme People's Procuracy (SPP) of Viet Nam organized a hybrid workshop on “Strengthening international cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters in combating transnational crimes'' between Viet Nam and Mozambique. The workshop is implemented within the framework of the project "Building Cooperation to Combat Wildlife Trafficking Between Africa and Asia'' funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), United States Department of State. The leader of SPP’s Department 13, WCS Viet Nam and more than 40 participants from SPP and People's Procuracy of 17 cities/ provinces in the North, Central, South of Viet Nam attended the in-person meeting; while 14 representatives of the Attorney General's Office (PGR) of Mozambique and INL Viet Nam joined the meeting through a virtual platform.
Participants attend the workshop, Da Nang, September 2022
The workshop focused on reviewing and evaluating the legal regulations related to mutual legal assistance (MLA) and the handling of MLA requests in Viet Nam and Mozambique, as well as discussing about difficulties/ challenges in implementing international cooperation and MLA activities to prevent and combat illegal wildlife trade between Vietnam and African countries in general, and Mozambique in particular. Solutions to enhance the efficiency of cooperation in handling requests for mutual legal assistance related to illegal wildlife trafficking between Viet Nam and African countries, especially from Mozambique, were also proposed from both countries. In this workshop, SPP’s Department 13 and WCS Viet Nam also introduced the MLA handbook to guide Vietnamese agencies in the process of implementing MLA with foreign agencies; and had received positive responses from the delegates joining the workshop.
At the workshop, Mrs. Vu Thi Hai Yen - Director General of Department 13, SPP said: “Department 13 commits to closely cooperate with cities/ provinces People’s Procuracy as well as the investigating agencies in the process of handling the MLA requests and receiving and sending requests for MLA. Officers of Department 13 are all very young and enthusiastic, ready to receive information and request support through different channels such as phone, e-mail at any time. Mutual legal assistance activities are still facing many difficulties due to barriers from the differences between Vietnamese and other countries' laws, but Department 13 will still try to provide assistance as soon as possible”.
Overview of the working section with Asset Recovery Division and Coordinator of Cooperation Division, PGR, Da Nang, September 2022
Honourable Mrs. Amélia Machava, Director of Asset Recovery Division and Coordinator of Cooperation Division, PGR, hopes that "there will be more investment in capacity building for both prosecutors and judges as well as investigators on issues related to the implementation of MLA in cases related to wildlife. Increasing the exchange of information on transnational organized crime, especially wildlife crime through multiple channels, is necessary to reduce the time it takes to process and investigate cases”.
Mr. Pham Thanh Trung, Program Manager, WCS Viet Nam Program shared, “WCS commits to continue promoting and facilitating international cooperation and MLA between Viet Nam and African countries, especially Mozambique, to effectively combat against transnational crimes."