In the framework of the Inter-University Cooperation Project Laos-Luxembourg, the University of Luxembourg organised a special online lecture on “Criminal Law and Procedure – an overview” in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Laos. The Project had the chance to welcome Mr. David Frend, who is the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Adviser for the Mekong Region at UNDOC. Mr. Frend not only shared his theoretical but also practical knowledge with the audience as a former barrister in England with a wide range of experience as a court-based advocate at both international and domestic level.
The lecture was attended by 80 students and lecturers from the Faculty of Law and Political Science as well as from the National Institute of Justice located in Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Vientiane on last Wednesday 8th of December via Zoom.
The speaker gave on overview of criminal law and procedure highlighting key differences between civil law and common law and dealing with actors of the criminal proceedings, definition of crime and burden of proof, constitutive elements of crime (actus reus and mens rea), types of crime as well as key aspects of the prosecution and trial phase. The participants energetically engaged with the speaker in a Q&A session for more than one hour!
Given this fruitful exchange and positive feedback, the Inter-University Project aims to organise further lectures in partnership with UNODC in 2022!