Gondaronline.com

By Yonas Abiye, The Reporter

Ethiomedia’s Note – What is adopted as law is further evidence on the part of the ruling party in Ethiopia that: 1) The vast, fertile areas from which Ethiopian farmers were uprooted and ceded to Sudan are now an indisputable part of Sudanese sovereignty, and 2nd) Ethiopians who flee to the Sudan for fear of political persecution would be hunted down anywhere in Sudan, and be extradited for further punishment, and possibly death.

The House of Peoples’ Representatives (HPR) on Tuesday passed a bill dubbed the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement on Criminal Matters between Sudan and Ethiopia.

The bill stipulates an exchange of vital evidence and witnesses in criminal investigation taking place in the two countries that was signed between the governments of Ethiopia and Sudan in December 2013.

The security cooperation pact was first signed in Khartoum ultimately focusing on information and evidence exchanges as part of fighting cross border crimes and terrorism.

A month ago the Houses deliberated on several provisions including the extradition of suspected criminal and exchange of intelligence regarding documentation and profiles of criminals among the two nations.

The security pact, which the Ethiopian government considers it as a highly rated agreement for its security and cross border criminal offenses, was highly accepted and was endorsed nemine contradicente .

According to the document presented to the house last month, the security agreement is intended to ensure peace and stability which in due course helps restoring justice.

Detailed in the agreement, the mutual assistance that is expected to be implemented includes taking evidence and statement from persons; assisting in availability of detained persons or others to give evidence or assisting in criminal investigation; effecting service of judicial documents; executing searches and seizures; examining objects and sites; providing information and evidentiary items; providing certified documents such as banks’, financial; in general corporate and business records.

Earlier this year, in April, minister of Defense Siraj Fegessa told MPs that the country had agreed with the Government of Sudan to establish joint forces to tighten security along the common border of the two nations against any external aggression and potential threat.

Meanwhile, the latest document revealed that judicial cooperation will help contribute to combat and control the growing cross-border criminal activity that stretches to international level.

Ethiomedia.com – An African-American news and views website.