What is the central authorities’ role?
Their role is to function as a channel for formal communication of requests for international cooperation between different countries, and to be an agile, safe vehicle that guarantees that notifications are issued and received by the competent bodies. In recent times, in practice, it has replaced what was previously carried out through diplomatic channels, on the assumption that these bodies exist in all countries and have been established by international treaties.
How can cooperation be simplified?
We need fast, secure transmission mechanisms through computer networks like IberRed and the Iber@ network, which are agile mechanisms that allow information to be transmitted far more quickly. In this regard, there are some important aspects such as the use of informal cooperation to prepare formal requests for cooperation, so that we know how the information will be requested and whether or not it is available. At the same time, each country’s central authorities are responsible for ensuring compliance with the letters rogatory they receive from other countries.
How does institutional coordination affect citizens?
Institutional cooperation is absolutely essential. Its impact is clearly measured in terms of the justice, effectiveness and efficiency delivered by the justice administration system. An inefficient, ineffective administration damages the democratic quality of a country and its citizens’ lives, while an efficient and effective system has a positive impact. In the case of prosecutors whose function is criminal investigation and prosecution, it is absolutely clear that the impact lies in reducing the impunity gap.
Why is international cooperation necessary to fight Transnational Organised Crime (TOC)?
For the simple reason that the TOC is international. Criminals do not recognise borders, which do not dissuade them. They often use them to try to escape from the State’s efforts to capture them. States must cooperate and work together to combat the TOC that is devastating our societies with crimes that damage our economies such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, arms trafficking and which eventually affect societies’ and individuals’ rights and opportunities for development.
Jorge Díaz, Court Prosecutor and Attorney General of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay
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