In Testimony Before the US Senate on July 9, Attorney General Mukasey Acknowledges That OPDAT and ICITAP Are Responsible For "some of the most important work that the Department does."

"... Indonesia is only one of more than 60 countries in which the Department of Justice is engaged in overseas rule of law work. We are working with foreign governments around the world to develop professional and accountable law enforcement institutions that protect human rights, combat corruption, and reduce the threat of transnational crime and terrorism. We do this both through the overseas work of our law enforcement agencies – including the FBI, DEA, USMS, and ATF – and through our specialized international prosecutorial and police development offices, the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training, known by its acronym OPDAT, and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program, known as ICITAP.

With funding from and in coordination with the State Department, those two programs place federal prosecutorial and police experts in host countries for long-term assignments designed to focus on the comprehensive development of all pillars of the criminal justice system. Having had the chance myself to see these programs in action in Indonesia, Iraq, Turkey, and Thailand, and having met with my counterparts from Colombia and other countries where these programs are in place, I can tell you that this is some of the most important work that the Department does. By building the capacity of our overseas law enforcement partners to fight terrorism and transnational crime within the rule of law, we increase the safety not only of their citizens, but of our own as well. ..."

Resident Legal Advisor to Albania Receives Medal of Recognition: On December 17, 2008, Albania President Bamir Topi presented an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Albania with a Medal of Recognition "for valuable contribution in the efforts for building the rule of law in Albania through assistance given to the difficult process of justice reform, especially legislative reform and criminal justice reform." The ceremony was held in the presidential Palace of Brigades, and was attended by the U.S. Ambassador, along with the Prosecutor General of Albania and other high justice officials. The ceremony was widely covered by TV and print journalists.  The OPDAT attorney has been a Resident Legal Advisor to Albania since October 2006; her portfolio focuses on assistance in organized crime, terrorism and terrorist financing, and corruption. 
               
Anti-Corruption Program for Ukraine: During the week of December 15, OPDAT Resident Legal Advisors to Ukraine led ten Ukrainian government officials from the Ministries of Interior, Transportation, and the State Customs Service on a United States-based study tour designed to help their agencies develop effective internal investigative units. This program is part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing anti-corruption assistance under the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Threshold Country Plan in Ukraine. The delegates met with inspectors general and internal affairs investigators from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and several other federal departments.

 Forensics Program in Iraq: On December 14, an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq took nine judges on a tour of a forensics laboratory on Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Salah ad Din Province, Iraq, where they were introduced to the basics of fingerprinting, DNA, and explosives analysis. OPDAT has been promoting forensic training for investigators and judges in an effort to change the culture of confession-driven investigations. Following the tour, the judges stated they would like to see an increased use of forensics in their cases.

Intellectual Property Rights Program in Dominican Republic: From December 10-11, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, an OPDAT Program Manager conducted a workshop for Dominican investigators, prosecutors, and intellectual property rights holders on investigating and prosecuting intellectual property rights crimes. The program included practical exercises on planning raids and searches, documenting the crime scene, “bagging and tagging” evidence, and interviewing suspects.

Program on Prosecutorial Training for Bulgarian Official: During the week of December 8, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Bulgaria escorted the Chief of Program Development at the Bulgarian Training Center for Prosecutors (known as the National Institute of Justice) to the DOJ National Advocacy Center in Columbia, SC, to meet with U.S. Department of Justice officials about curriculum development, course management, faculty recruitment and development, alternatives to live training, and evaluation of training effectiveness. This program was coordinated with the Assistant Director of Distance Education, Office of Legal Education, National Advocacy Center, who visited Bulgaria a year ago to arrange exchange programs such as this.

Anti-Corruption Program in Armenia: From December 8-9, in Yerevan, Armenia, the OPDAT  Resident Legal Advisor to Armenia conducted a program on investigating and prosecuting corruption for 56 Armenia prosecutors, police, and anti-corruption officials.  The program focused on investigating and prosecuting public corruption involving police, judges, and government bureaucrats. Assisting the Resident Legal Advisor were assistant district attorneys and police chiefs from Brooklyn, Nassau, and New York City, New York; and Kansas City, Kansas.

Criminal Procedure Code Reform Program for Macedonian Delegation: From December 6-14, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Macedonia led a delegation of Macedonian judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors on a United States-based study tour in anticipation of reforms to the Macedonian Criminal Procedure Code. These planned reforms will change the Macedonian inquisitorial system to an adversarial system in line with international standards. The group met with federal prosecutors and United States District Court judges in Boston and New York City to discuss such topics as plea bargaining and the use of cooperating witnesses. Upon their return, the Macedonian participants will submit recommendations for reforms to the Macedonian Criminal Procedure Code.

Cybercrime-Counterterrorism Workshop in Kenya:  From December 2-5, in Nairobi, Kenya, OPDAT and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) conducted a cybercrime-counterterrorism workshop for judges, prosecutors, and police officers from Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Topics included the nature and scope of crimes involving computers and the Internet, developing cybercrime and electronic evidence legislation; and improving international legal cooperation in cybercrime and electronic evidence matters. Representing the U.S. Department of Justice were two CCIPS Trial Attorneys; OPDAT Resident Legal Advisors to Kenya, Uganda and Zambia; and an OPDAT Program Analyst.

Program on United States Criminal Justice System in Iraq:  On November 26, in Karbala, Iraq, an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq gave a series of lectures to law students at Karbala University about the United States Constitution, the American criminal justice system, and the rule of law.
                                               
DOJ Cybercrime Seminar in Thailand:On November 25, in Bangkok, Thailand, the OPDAT  Resident Legal and Interim Legal Advisor and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program Enforcement Policy Advisor joined other Department of Justice embassy-based colleagues to present the first-ever cybercrimes seminar on investigating computer-based crime. Over 200 students attended the seminar, which took place at the Royal Police Cadet Academy. Topics included computer forensics, the prosecutor’s perspective and trial issues,
and electronic evidence gathering. Also participating were the Justice Attaché and Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordinator for Asia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Legal Attaché.

Trial Advocacy Skills Workshop in Uganda: From November 17-21, in Kampala, Uganda, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Uganda conducted a trial advocacy skills workshop on public corruption cases for prosecutors and investigators in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and Inspectorate General of Government. Other instructors included an Office of Professional Responsibility Assistant Counsel and three Assistant United States Attorneys (Western District of Wisconsin, District of Vermont, and Eastern District of Pennsylvania.).

Workshop for Magistrates on Intellectual Property Rights in South Africa: From November 13 – 15, in Johannesburg, South Africa, OPDAT and the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) conducted the first-ever judicial workshop in South Africa on intellectual property.  It covered the technical aspects of adjudicating intellectual property cases such as pre-trial issues, convictions, sentencing for criminal cases, and damages for civil cases. Participating were 210 South African judges from the Association of Regional Magistrates of South Africa. Representing the U.S. were a Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Federal Claims,  District Court Judge, CCIPS Trial Attorney and Paralegal, Assistant United States Attorney, and  OPDAT Program Analyst.

Participation in Middle East and North Africa Subgroup Meeting of the Financial Action Task Force: From November 7-13, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Region represented the U.S. Justice Department at the 8th meetings of the Middle East and North Africa subgroup of the Financial Action Task Force, held in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. He participated in the plenary session, as well as the “train the trainer” course on technical assistance in financial investigations, and the two-day financial intelligence unit workshop.

Intellectual Property Program in Jamaica: From November 4-6, in Kingston, Jamaica, an OPDAT Program Manager conducted a workshop on investigating and prosecuting intellectual property crimes for thirty representatives of the Government of Jamaica and private industry. The purpose was to enhance law enforcement capability to combat intellectual property crimes by facilitating the development by Jamaican prosecutors, investigators, and industry representatives of a best practices handbook for combating intellectual property crimes under the laws of Jamaica. Assisting the Program Manager were the chief prosecutor for Trinidad & Tobago, a police trainer from The Bahamas, and a United Kingdom expert.

Department Prosecutor Embedded in Bulgarian Prosecution Service: From November 3 – 14, in Sofia, Bulgaria, under assistance provided by the OPDAT Bulgarian Prosecutor Strengthening Initiative, an Organized Crime and Racketeering Section Attorney worked directly with the Bulgarian Prosecution Service on two major organized crime cases by providing advice on how to effectively develop the cases and strengthen courtroom skills.

Judicial Conference in Iraq: From October 30 to November 1, in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq conducted a program for approximately 70 judges of Kirkuk Province. The program covered the judiciary’s role in protecting human rights, prosecutors’ reviews of investigative judges’ decisions, and Iraqi criminal law. The purpose is to encourage the Kirkuk judiciary to scrutinize investigations to ensure that they comport with Iraqi law and that defendants are protected from police abuse and coercion. The hope is that this initial conference will empower the Kirkuk judiciary to continue holding semi-annual conferences on its own and enhance the judiciary’s communication and uniformity in addressing legal issues.

France: International Witness Protection Symposium: From October 30-31, at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, OPDAT and the United States Marshals Service conducted the third annual international witness protection symposium, which focused on the effective use of witness protection programs before, during, and after the prosecution of criminal cases. Topics included international cooperation, courthouse security, victim-witness assistance, and special measures for witness protection. The symposium was attended by representatives from approximately 40 countries. Department of Justice participants included the OPDAT Director,   Regional Directors for Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe, and Resident Legal Advisors to Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine; and an Office of Enforcement Operations Associate Director.
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Resident Legal Advisor arrives in Montenegro: On October 26, an Assistant U.S. Attorney (District of Oregon) arrived in Podgorica, Montenegro, to begin his duties as the first OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Montenegro. He will provide advice on criminal procedure code reform, witness protection, and victim witness assistance. Additionally, he will support the Office of the Special Prosecutor by sharing his expertise on organized crime, corruption and financial crime, and terrorism and war crimes.

U.S.- Based Program for Judges from Thailand: From October 20-29, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Thailand led six senior appellate court judges and a Supreme Court judge from Thailand on a U.S.-based study tour. The program focused on the investigation, charge and trial of narcotics cases, and how to set-up and administer an appellate court. Recent legislation in Thailand created a separate appellate procedure, and new limits on appellate rights for narcotics
defendants. These judges are responsible for implementing the new court, which must process a burgeoning caseload and significant backlog. The delegation travelled to Chicago, IL and Washington, D.C., where they met with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Federal District and Circuit Courts.

Anti-Gangs Program In El Salvador: From October 17-24, OPDAT, in conjunction with the International Law Enforcement Academy in San Salvador, El Salvador, conducted an anti-gangs program focusing on security issues. Forty-five prosecutors, investigators, victim/witness experts and corrections officers from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico attended the workshop, which included segments on victim and witness protection, courthouse security, judicial security, security for prison officials, and victim services. Other discussion topics were the distinction between justice sector security and protection and cost effective means of providing security. Joining presenters from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and U.S. National Central Bureau of Interpol were law enforcement officials from Chile, Colombia and Panama to discuss the progress made in their countries’ justice sector security programs in recent years. This was the sixth in a series of regional programs held between September 2006 and October 2008 in support of the Attorney General’s gang initiative. U.S. Justice Department representatives included the OPDAT Acting Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean and an Assistant U.S. Attorney (Southern District, TX).

Financial Crimes Seminar in Liberia: From October 15 - 17, in Monrovia, Liberia, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Liberia conducted a financial crimes seminar for 45 Liberian criminal prosecutors and investigators. The primary objectives were to introduce the concept of long term investigations; encourage a working relationship between criminal investigators and prosecutors; present best practices in the areas of ethics and organization; and show how basic financial crimes investigative techniques can be used in corruption cases. Assisting the Resident Legal Advisor was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and a Federal Bureau of Investigation Legat stationed in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

U.S. Based Study Tour for Indonesian Anti-Corruption Task Force: From October 13 - 25, the Resident Legal Advisor to Indonesia led a delegation of 12 prosecutors from the Indonesian Attorney General’s new Anti-Corruption Task Force on a U.S.-based study tour. The program included substantive presentations by Justice Department experts, informal discussions with prosecutors and judges, courtroom observations, and discussions with representatives from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (Sacramento, CA; District of Columbia; and Southern District, New York) to demonstrate how corruption cases are investigated and prosecuted in the U.S. Topics included trial preparation, prosecutorial specialization, police/ prosecutor coordination, and recovery of stolen assets. The Anti-Corruption Task Force was officially inaugurated during Attorney General Mukasey’s June 2008 trip to Indonesia and is modeled after the successful U.S.- supported Transnational Crimes and Terrorism task force (Satgas) in the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office.

Legal Advisor to Serbia Arrives in Belgrade: On October 13, an Assistant U.S. Attorney  (Western District, Texas), arrived in Belgrade, Serbia, to begin his tenure as the OPDAT Anti-Corruption Resident Legal Advisor to Serbia.  In this position, he will assist Serbian authorities in their efforts to combat public corruption.  He will split his time between the newly created Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia and the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office, which handles a large percentage of the most significant corruption cases in Serbia. Previously, he had served as a Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq.

Resident Legal Advisor to Pakistan: On October 8, the former OPDAT Senior Regional Director for Eurasia and Asia and the Pacific arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, to begin his detail as the Resident Legal Advisor to Pakistan. As Resident Legal Advisor, he provides advice and technical assistance to government counterparts in Pakistan with the goal of increasing the country’s justice sector capacity to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate terrorist based criminal activity.

Intellectual Property Rights Program in The Bahamas: From October 7-9, in Nassau, The Bahamas, an OPDAT Program Manager and a Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section Trial Attorney, assisted by a United Kingdom intellectual property rights expert, conducted a workshop on combating intellectual property crimes for 30 Bahamian prosecutors, investigators, and industry representatives. Workshop participants developed a best practices handbook for combating intellectual property crimes under Bahamian laws.

Task Force Development Program: From October 5-9, in Amman, Jordan, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Region, in collaboration with Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance, conducted a seminar on task force development for 44 Jordanian prosecutors, investigators, and judges. The program focused on using the task force approach in the investigation and prosecution of organized crime. Assisting the Resident Legal Advisor was an Assistant U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Jury Trial Program in Russia: From October 3-5, an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Russia conducted a conference in St. Petersburg on jury trials. The program was a first in that it brought together 30 former jurors, 12 judges, and a number of experts including a former Constitutional Court judge and several professors to discuss the state of Russian jury trials and to make recommendations on improving legislation governing jury trials. This program is part of OPDAT’s ongoing work with the Russian Jurors’ Association, a grass roots legal reform organization formed by former jurors to lobby for legal reform in Russia. It is one of the only autonomous civic legal reform movements in Russia and has taken off following a start-up conference in Moscow in March 2008 facilitated by the Resident Legal Advisor. Follow up events include a roundtable in the public chamber, a U.S. study tour, and a conference in Yekaterinburg for jurors from the Urals region.

Witness Protection Program in Albania: From September 22 -26, in Tirana, Albania, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Albania, in conjunction with the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program and the U.S. Marshals Service, conducted training on physical protection techniques for Albanian witness protection officials. The training included firearms drills, operational planning, counter-ambush techniques, and counter surveillance. Three Macedonian witness protection officers also participated to encourage the building of regional witness protection relationships.  

Database Training Program in Uganda:  On September 19, 17 prosecutors, investigators, and information technology specialists from the Uganda Directorate of Public Prosecutions and Inspectorate General of Government completed a week-long Real-Time Analytical Database Training Course at the Uganda Management Institute, facilitated by the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Uganda. The software package allows investigators and prosecutors to organize and share information and evidence in cases and is provided free of charge to foreign law enforcement agencies by the Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center, which developed the program. This course was part of the on-going anti-corruption assistance that the U.S. Department of Justice is providing to Uganda under the Millennium Challenge Corporation threshold program.

Program on Forensic Evidence in Iraq: On September 18, in Karbala, Iraq, an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq conducted a forensic evidence program for Iraqi investigative judges and police. It covered such topics as DNA, fingerprinting, fiber analysis, footprint, and ballistic evidence. The program illustrated how forensic evidence rather than confessions (which are sometimes coerced) can be used to build strong cases.

Intellectual Property and Financial Crimes Programs in Trinidad & Tobago: From September 16 - 18, in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, OPDAT conducted two workshops, one to enhance the ability of Trinidad law enforcement to combat intellectual property rights crimes, and the other to assist them in fighting financial crimes. The intellectual property program included practical exercises, such as conducting searches, and was attended by police, prosecutors, and representatives of private industry. The financial crimes program focused on developing strategies for combating financial and financially-motivated crimes, as well as enhancing collaboration with the financial sector; participants include police, prosecutors, and representatives of the financial sector. Both programs were follow-ups to workshops held earlier this year in Port of Spain. Instructors were an OPDAT Program Manager, an Assistant US Attorney from the Eastern District of New York, and a retired United Kingdom police official who has significant expertise in combating intellectual property crimes under a British-type legal system.

Trial Advocacy Program for Prosecutors in Russia: From September 15 - 18, in Irkutsk, Russia, an OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) to Russia conducted a trial advocacy training program for 30 Russian prosecutors from Siberia and the Far East. The program focused on the prosecution of corruption and public bribery cases, and supports DOJ’s ongoing efforts to assist the Russians in implementing their reformed criminal procedure code and enhancing their fight against corruption. Assisting the RLA was an Assistant United States Attorney from the Western District of Oklahoma and a United States Magistrate Judge.

Intellectual Property Program in Brazil for Prosecutors, Judges and Law Enforcement Officers: From September 10 - 16, in Florianopolis and Brasilia, Brazil, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Brazil and a Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section Trial Attorney conducted seminars for 300 Brazilian investigators, prosecutors, and judges on investigating and prosecuting intellectual property (IP) crimes. The seminars featured presentations from both U.S. and Brazilian experts in the field, and included overviews of US and Brazilian IP laws, examples of successful prosecutions in each country, and a discussion of the importance of cooperation in international cases. The seminar in Brasilia was broadcast to all Brazilian federal prosecutors simultaneously via the Internet. Also participating for the U.S. were agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a Federal District Court Judge.

Resident Legal Advisor to Bangladesh: On September 7, an Office of Enforcement Operations Trial Attorney arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to begin his one-year duty as the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Bangladesh. In this position, he will provide advice and technical assistance to Bangladeshi law enforcement and government officials designed to improve their capability to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate money laundering, terrorism, and corruption cases. Before his current posting, he was the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to the Republic of Moldova.

Cybercrime Legislative Drafting Workshop in Colombia: From September 3 - 5, OPDAT and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) conducted a cybercrime legislative drafting workshop in Bogota, Colombia. This workshop was the second in a series of legislative drafting workshops held in the Americas. The first was held in Trinidad and Tobago in May and included all English speaking countries in the Americas. This workshop, jointly sponsored by the US Department of Justice, Organization of American States, Council of Europe, and the Government of Colombia, included participants from all of the Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries in the Americas. The aim was to bring together legislators, prosecutors and investigators from each participating country to review, revise and draft cybercrime legislation in accordance with the standards set forth by the Council of Europe. Participants spent most of the conference working in small groups to finalize legislation from their countries, in the hopes of submitting that legislation for approval upon returning from the workshop. DOJ participants included two CCIPS Trial Attorneys and an OPDAT Program Analyst.

Two New Legal Advisors for Africa: On August 28 and 29, OPDAT sent new legal advisors to two African nations as part of the President’s Women’s Justice and Empowerment Initiative. These attorneys will assist the host nations in combating gender-based violence and will work with prosecutors, investigators, and courts to improve women’s justice efforts in such areas as domestic violence and rape. On August 28, an Assistant US Attorney from the District of Columbia arrived in Pretoria, South Africa, to begin her assignment as an Intermittent Legal Advisor to South Africa. On August 29, a prosecutor from the Miami-Dade County, Florida State Attorneys Office, where he served as Chief of the Felony Squad and supervised gender based violence cases, arrived in Cotonou, Benin, to begin his one-year assignment as the Resident Legal Advisor to Benin.

New Judicial Complex Opens in Iraq: On August 28, in Baghdad, Iraq, a new judicial complex opened in the Rusafa neighborhood. With more than 80 investigative and trial judges and more than 125,000 square feet of space, the Rusafa Judicial Complex is the largest and most modern Courthouse in Iraq. Its criminal courts will try terrorism and other felony cases, and the civil courts will serve more than 1,000 people a day. Before this courthouse opened, many of the Rusafa courts held their hearings in two inadequately-maintained, converted office buildings borrowed from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior. An OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq, working in conjunction with the Chief of Mission/Multinational Force-Iraq, played a key role in the successful effort to open the Rusafa Judicial Complex on time.

US-based Study Tour on Prosecutorial Training for Indonesian Delegation: From August 25 - 29, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Indonesia led a US-based study tour for seven prosecutors assigned to the training center of the Indonesian Attorney General's Office regarding the US theory and methodology of training prosecutors. The delegation visited the Criminal Division's training center in Washington, DC, attended and observed workshops at the National Advocacy Center in South Carolina, and met with members of the US Attorney's Office in Charleston, SC, where they discussed a US Attorney's Office’s organization, hiring, training, and promotion practices and procedures.

Resident Legal Advisor to the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf: On August 25, an Assistant United States Attorney from the Southern District of Florida arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to begin his tenure as the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Region. He will focus on providing advice and technical assistance to counterparts in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan in order to enhance those countries’ justice sector capacity to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate terrorist based criminal activity.

DOJ Official Attends Regional Meetings on Counterterrorism in India: On August 25, the OPDAT Senior Attorney for Counterterrorism Programs represented the Department of Justice at the 10th meeting of the India-United States Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism in New Delhi, India. Topics included threat assessments, counterterrorism coordination, bio terrorism, terrorist financing and money laundering, law enforcement cooperation, border security, and next steps. The following day, she represented the Department at the South Asia Regional Strategic Initiative to discuss regional needs for counterterrorism cooperation with the United States Ambassador and ambassadors from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Following these meetings, she went to Dhaka, Bangladesh, to meet with the departing Resident Legal Advisor to Bangladesh, embassy officials, and Government of Bangladeshi officials.

Intellectual Property Program in Mexico: From August 20 - 22 in Mazatlan, Mexico, OPDAT and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) presented a training program on customs enforcement and the tracking of intellectual property violations to approximately 65 Mexican customs officials, prosecutors, and specialized intellectual property investigators. The program emphasized the importance of cooperation among the various law enforcement agencies involved in combating intellectual property crimes. This program springs from the Intellectual Property Action Strategy announced earlier this year by Presidents Bush and Calderon and Prime Minister Harper at the North American Leaders Summit. The program aims to enhance Mexico’s capacity to stop pirated and counterfeit goods from crossing its borders and to foster greater US-Mexican cooperation in combating transnational trafficking of illegal merchandise. DOJ participants included a CCIPS Trial Attorney and an OPDAT Program Analyst. They were joined by experts from the Department of Homeland Security, Mexico's Office of the Attorney General and Industrial Property Office, and the World Customs Organization. The American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico also provided industry anti-piracy experts to teach American and Mexican officials how to distinguish legitimate products from fakes. This program was the third in series of customs workshops; the other two were held in Veracruz, Mexico, in July 2007, and Manzanillo in February 2008.

Terrorism Cases Tried in Mosul, Iraq: An OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Iraq was instrumental in supporting a group of trial judges sent from Baghdad to try terrorism cases at the Major Crimes Court in Mosul. The first terrorist trials to be held in Mosul since February 2008 commenced on August 20. In two weeks time, the judges tried 26 defendants charged with kidnaping, murder and other terrorist activities in 21 cases, resulting in 13 convictions and 13 acquittals. The Resident Legal Advisor helped judges obtain relevant case files for review, accompanied them to the Major Crimes Court, and observed trials.

DOJ-Trained Iraqi Task Force Investigators and Police Carry Out Arrests: Iraqi investigators and the National Police from the Law and Order Task Force in Baghdad, Iraq, successfully arrested four high level Ministry of Higher Education employees on August 20. This is the first time in the Task Force’s history that Iraqis executed arrests pursuant to warrants without Coalition Forces participation. The cases involve allegations of corruption and kidnapping by the arrested, all of whom are members of the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia of the Sadrist political movement. OPDAT’s Resident Legal Advisors helped make these arrests successful with their ongoing capacity-building and training efforts with the Iraqi investigators.

Intellectual Property Workshop for Judges in Honduras: On August 19 - 21, OPDAT conducted a workshop for judges on adjudicating intellectual property crimes at the International Law Enforcement Academy in San Salvador, El Salvador. This program was part of an ongoing effort with the State Department to enhance the capacity to combat intellectual property crimes in countries participating in the Dominican Republic-Central America-US Free Trade Agreement. Under this effort, programs for law enforcement personnel and the judiciary on combating intellectual property crimes have taken place in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and El Salvador; follow-up programs in the same countries are scheduled for the future. In this program, two US judges and one Honduran judge met with about twenty Salvadoran judges to discuss intellectual property rights crimes and develop a first draft of a “bench book” for the Salvadoran judiciary on adjudicating criminal intellectual property rights cases. The training team included a Senior US District Court Judge from the District of Puerto Rico, a US District Court Judge from the Middle District of Florida (Tampa), a Judge from Honduras, and an OPDAT Program Manager.

Optical Disk Piracy Program in Nigeria: From August 18 - 19, in Lagos, Nigeria, OPDAT and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) conducted an intellectual property program focusing on optical disk piracy for about 60 representatives from the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Customs, Standards Organization of Nigeria, Nigerian Attorney General’s office, and music and film industries in Nigeria. The agenda included copyright and optical disk regulations, tracing origin and ownership of optical disks, forensic tracking of optical disks, best practices for conducting raids, and a tour of two legal optical disk plants. US participants were a CCIPS Trial Attorney and Paralegal; an OPDAT Program Analyst; a representative from the US Copyright Office, Office of Policy & International Affairs; an agent from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and an agent from the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Fingerprint Evidence Program for Judges in Baghdad, Iraq: On August 7, the investigative and judicial units of OPDAT’s Court and Judicial Management Division in the Law and Order Task Force worked with instructors from the Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell to deliver a class on fingerprint evidence to the Investigative Judges at the Central Criminal Court Iraq, Rusafa (located in Baghdad). This training was the first in a series of lectures to be presented to the Rusafa Court on the legal systems, and the types of evidence used by the Multinational Force–Iraq partners in their respective courts. Approximately 23 Investigative Judges, five Attorneys, and two OPDAT Resident Legal Advisors to Iraq participated. The instructors covered the difference between a latent fingerprint and a known fingerprint and also how known fingerprints are obtained. They explained that under a normal clinical setting, another expert would confirm the first expert’s opinion and all disputes would be resolved by a neutral third opinion from a supervisor. The instructors stressed that, to date, no two individuals, not even identical, or Siamese twins, have had the same fingerprints.

Indonesia Illegal Logging/Timber Trade Investigation and Prosecution Workshop: From August 11-13, in Jakarta, Indonesia, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Indonesia and an Environment and Natural Resource Division Trial Attorney conducted a workshop on illegal logging and timber trading for 40 Indonesian prosecutors and investigators. The program highlighted the problem and focused on the statutes that can be used against violators.

The First OPDAT RLA in Montenegro: From August 3 - 17, an Assistant US Attorney from the District of Oregon was in Podgorica, Montenegro, preparing for his one-year assignment as the first ever OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Montenegro. Scheduled to deploy to Montenegro at the end of September, he will assist the Government of Montenegro in structuring it criminal justice system and reforming its criminal procedure code. He will also assist prosecutors and investigators who are responsible for handling such matters as organized crime, corruption, financial crime, terrorism and war crimes. He begins this assignment after serving as the OPDAT Intermittent Legal Advisor to Kosovo.

Prosecutor and Judge Trained by OPDAT Play Key Roles in Bosnia War Crimes Case: On July 29, Bosnia's war crimes court sentenced seven Bosnian Serbs to prison terms ranging from 38 to 42 years for taking part in the genocide and mass killing of Bosnian Muslims (“Bosniaks”) in Srebrenica, on July 13, 1995. Four other Bosnian Serbs from the group of 11 charged in a joint indictment were acquitted due to lack of evidence and immediately released. Both the presiding judge and the prosecutor handling the case participated in several seminars and workshops conducted by current and former OPDAT Resident Legal Advisors to Bosnia on trial advocacy skills used in an adversarial criminal justice system and how to have crucial evidence from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) admitted into trials in Bosnian courts.

Ethics Code Development Assistance in Ukraine: From July 22 - 24, in Uman, Ukraine, three OPDAT Resident Legal Advisors to Ukraine assisted a working group of Ukrainian officials (from the Accounting Chamber, State Tax Administration, Ministry of Justice, State Border Guard Service, Security and Defense Council, Academy of the National Bank, Main Administration of the State Civil Service, Ministry of Finance, and Academy of Public Administration) in preparing draft legislation that would create an ethics code for public servants. The code would address conflicts of interest and provide a comprehensive system of financial declarations. The Resident Legal Advisors are working with the Government of Ukraine as part of two-year Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Country Plan, which began in Spring 2007, to develop a comprehensive arsenal of anti-corruption tools.

Resident Legal Advisor to Turkey: On July 22, the Executive Assistant United States Attorney from the Eastern District of California-Sacramento arrived in Ankara, Turkey, to begin her year-long detail as the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Turkey. She will provide advice and technical assistance to the Turkish Ministry of Justice designed to strengthen its capacity to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate terrorist-based criminal activity.

Anti-Gangs Program in El Salvador: From July 18 - 25, OPDAT, in conjunction with the US Embassy in El Salvador, conducted an advanced anti-gangs training program at the International Law Enforcement Academy in San Salvador, El Salvador, for participants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It focused on the forensics of gang investigations, covering such topics as use of ballistics evidence to connect crime scenes, blood spatter analysis, performing an autopsy, and use of forensic evidence to corroborate or disprove witness testimony. Participants conducted a mock crime scene investigation and visited the Salvadoran crime laboratory. This was the fifth DOJ regional anti-gangs programs; two more are scheduled, one in October and the other in January. DOJ was represented by an International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program Senior Forensic Consultant, an OPDAT Program Analyst, and a Supervisory Special Agent and three Firearms Examiners from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

Intellectual Property Program in El Salvador: From July 15-16, an OPDAT Program Manager conducted a workshop on intellectual property rights at the International Law Enforcement Academy in San Salvador, El Salvador, for Salvadoran investigators, prosecutors, customs officials, and representatives of rights holders. It focused on strategies for investigating and prosecuting intellectual property rights cases and included practical exercises in planning raids/searches, crime scene control, documenting crime scenes, and interviewing suspects. Assisting OPDAT were a retired Department of Homeland Security Special Agent and a Colombian expert on IPR enforcement .

Computer Investigative Skills Course in South Africa: From July 14 – 23, OPDAT and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) conducted a train-the-trainers program on computer investigations in Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa. The first part of the program trained officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, South African Revenue Service, and South African Police Service on computer investigative skills. Following that, those officials trained police, prosecutors, and customs investigators seizing omputers and computer forensics. Representing DOJ were a Trial Attorney, Director of the Cyber Crime Lab from CCIPS, and an OPDAT Program Analyst. They were joined by the Special Agent in Charge of Computer Crimes from the Office of the Inspector General located in the US Department of Commerce.

US-Based Program for High-level Officials from Bangladesh: From July 14 - 18, the OPDAT Senior Attorney for Counterterrorism Programs and Resident Legal Advisor to Bangladesh led a US-based study program on counterterrorism and anti-money laundering for two high-level officials of the Bangladesh government: the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Deputy Governor, Bangladesh Bank. They met with Attorney General Michael Mukasey as well as with a Criminal Division Deputy Assistant Attorney General, and representatives from the Office of International Affairs, Public Integrity Section, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and Counterterrorism Section. They also had appointments outside of DOJ with officials from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, US Federal Reserve, Department of Defense, Department of State, and Department of Treasury.

West Africa Regional Cybercrime Program: From July 9-11 in Cotonou, Benin, OPDAT and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) conducted a West Africa regional cybercrime workshop for delegations from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. The workshop sought to assist these countries in their efforts to develop laws and procedures to improve their ability to investigate and prosecute computer crimes. Topics included drafting domestic cybercrime legislation, developing laws and procedures for gathering and using electronic evidence, and improving international cooperation in cybercrime and electronic evidence matters. DOJ participants included two CCIPS Trial Attorneys, a Senior Cyber Analyst, and an OPDAT Program Analyst.

Criminal Procedure Code Reform Program in Macedonia: From July 1-2, the OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor to Macedonia, in coordination with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe/Soros Foundation, as well as the Macedonian Minister of Justice and the Association of Criminologists, conducted a criminal procedure code reform program in Skopje, Macedonia. The program reviewed proposed legislation on trial procedure, sentencing, and the indictment process. There was also a presentation on the US Federal Sentencing Guidelines and how the guidelines could be used as a tool in the Macedonian criminal justice system. This program is part of a year-long criminal procedure code reform project that includes such sweeping changes as adopting plea bargaining and shifting investigative responsibilities from the investigative judge to the prosecutor. The reform project incorporated many adversarial elements into the predominantly inquisitorial system.