German lawyer Otmar Kuty, head of the Hanseatic Bar Association in Hamburg addresses the event (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese and German lawyers shared experience to sharpen their interrogation and litigation skills in criminal cases during a conference in Hanoi on June 9.
The event was part of a cooperation programme between the Justice Ministry and German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection for the 2015-2018 period.
Lawyer Phan Trung Hoai, Vice President of the Vietnam Bar Federation (VBF), said that the conference was a chance for Vietnamese lawyers to learn from their German peers in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of their clients, especially those who are accused.
Lawyer Nguyen Van Chien, VBF Vice President and Chairman of the Hanoi Bar Association, said that although the Criminal Proceedings Law 2015 has created equality in the practice of the right to gather evidence by both the accusing and exculpating sides, lawyers’ roles and responsibility in collecting evidence are still restricted.
He cited a few instances of the limitation, including the absence of lawyers during investigating activities of confrontation, identification and scene examination.
Meanwhile, in many cases, valuable evidence given by lawyers, which can shed light on criminal blame, is not accepted by the jury, he added.
Many Vietnamese lawyers at the conference asserted that in order to ensure a lawyer’s right in collecting and effectively using evidence, it is necessary to enhance equality in the field, while designing a mechanism to ensure the responsibility of agencies conducting criminal proceedings to consider evidence provided by lawyers.
German lawyer Otmar Kuty, head of the Hanseatic Bar Association in Hamburg, shared his experience and skills when gathering, verifying and evaluating evidence, as well as the necessary skills required during the process of arguing at court and during investigation.
A number of relevant cases were also discussed as case studies at the event.-VNA
