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Kenya courts no longer accepting Somalia piracy cases

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said Thursday that Kenya will no longer accept Somalian pirate cases to be tried in its courts. Wetangula stated that the large number of Somalian pirate cases referred to Kenya has overburdened the country's judicial system and noted that the international community has not followed through on its promises to support the country in adjudicating these cases. Additionally, Attorney General Amos Wako noted the lack of commitment by other countries in taking on piracy cases, leaving Kenya largely responsible. In January, the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported that 2009 marked the worst year for maritime piracy in six years. The information indicated that the total reported incidents of piracy reached 406, surpassing 400 for the first time since 2003. Earlier that month, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York filed a superseding indictment against alleged Somali pirate Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, claiming that he led the takeover of two additional ships. Muse pleaded not guilty to the charges. In November, Somali judge Mohamed Abdi Aware, known for jailing suspected pirates, human traffickers, and Islamist insurgents, was shot dead while leaving a mosque in the Puntland city of Bossaso.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 01, 2010 (boomark / email).