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Justice Sector Corruption in Ethiopia 215
Table 5.4
Detection of
alleged crime
Corruption Risks in Criminal Justice in Ethiopia’s Justice Sector
Investigation of crime
and pretrial procedures
Potential forms of corruption
• Political authorities or higher-level officers direct police
to ignore complaints, undertake investigations, or
arrest “suspects” without probable cause.
• Police take regular payments from those running criminal
activities or ordinary businesses to ignore infractions.
• Police solicit or accept bribes or other considerations
to process or ignore complaints.
• Police solicit or accept bribes or other considerations
to arrest or release suspects.
• Lawyers, in collusion with private clients, threaten criminal
complaints to extort money or force other actions of “probable
suspects.”
• Political authorities or higher-level officers direct police to
falsify or ignore evidence.
• Police steal valuable evidence.
• Political authorities or higher-level officials direct
prosecutors to file or not file charges.
• Political authorities manipulate assignment of the “right”
judges (prosecutor or investigator) to handle cases.
• Political authorities pressure prosecutors or judges to
request or require pretrial detention, refuse bail, or
set bail higher or lower than necessary.
• Political authorities pressure judges or prison staff to
restrict pretrial detainees’ legal rights.
• Public authorities solicit bribes from detainees for access to
counsel or other legal rights.
• Political authorities instruct judges, prosecutors, or public
defenders to speed up or slow down proceedings.
• Political or higher-level officials pressure judges or others
(including private attorneys) about decisions on evidence or
other matters.
• Police or prosecutors solicit or accept bribes or other
consideration from parties to falsify or hide evidence.
• Lawyers or other court experts falsify or retain evidence to
aid principal clients or as a means of extorting money from
other parties.
• Prosecutors solicit or accept bribes or other consideration
from parties to drop or reduce charges.
• Prosecutors file charges to “punish” suspects (abuse of
authority).
• Political or agency actors pressure potential witnesses to not
come forward.
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