Military court of Lomé officially operational

Justice

Wednesday, 11 October 2023 12:34

Military court of Lomé officially operational

(Togo First) - The military court of Lomé launched its activities last Monday, October 9. The court kicked off operations during an awareness-raising workshop attended by representatives of the various branches of the Togolese armed forces and other stakeholders.

The workshop sought to specify the cases handled by military courts, and the conditions under which these cases can be referred to them, according to Col. Akobi Messan, Attorney General at the Military Court of Appeal.

Moreover, it has been revealed that only military magistrates will perform investigation and prosecution.

The military courts, according to the Minister of Justice, Pius Agbetomey, will allow Togolese military staff to enjoy the same rights and duties as civilians.

1 Pius

"We have to build justice that is rendered in the name of the Togolese people. With the advent of military justice, the Togolese civilian will see the soldier as a brother, the soldier enjoys the same rights and obligations as him (ed. note: the civilian), and the soldier too is subject to the law," said Agbetomey, adding: "Military jurisdictions are designed to be run not only by magistrates of the civilian order but also by purely or less military magistrates trained for this purpose."

Prior to the launch of Lomé’s military court, eight specialized magistrates were selected to work at the court. They were selected by a presidential decree issued on April 24, 2023.

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