If you or a family member has been arrested or summoned for questioning, the most valuable thing you can do is obtain legal representation immediately. What happens in the first days of a criminal matter — what is said in an interview, whether bail is applied for and how, whether remand is properly challenged — frequently shapes everything that follows.
If someone has just been arrested: call us on +251 91 261 4966. Note where the person is being held and the police station handling the file, and avoid discussing the substance of the allegation over the telephone.
The applicable law
Criminal liability in Ethiopia is defined by the Criminal Code, Proclamation No. 414/2004, which replaced the Penal Code of 1957. Procedure is governed by the Criminal Procedure Code of 1961, read together with the protections guaranteed by the FDRE Constitution — which is the part clients most often do not know they can rely on.
Those constitutional protections include the presumption of innocence, the right not to be compelled to make a self-incriminating statement, the right to be informed promptly and in a language you understand of the reason for arrest and the charge, the right to be brought before a court within a short and defined period of arrest, the right to legal representation, and — subject to defined exceptions — the right to release on bail pending trial.
Where we come in
Investigation and arrest
We attend police interviews, advise on whether and how to answer questions, and ensure that the period of detention before the accused is brought before a court is observed. Where the police seek repeated remand to continue an investigation, we oppose extensions that are not justified.
Bail
Release pending trial is not automatic, and it is not available for every offence. Where it is available, a bail application is an evidential exercise: the court considers the nature of the allegation, the risk of flight, the risk of interference with witnesses and the accused's ties to the community. We prepare these applications properly — with guarantors, documentation and a clear proposal of conditions — rather than treating them as a formality, and we appeal refusals where there are grounds.
Charge and trial
Once a charge is framed we examine it closely. A charge that does not disclose an offence, that is defective in form, or that has been brought outside the applicable period of limitation can be challenged as a preliminary objection before the case reaches the evidence. Where the matter does proceed to trial we test the prosecution evidence, cross-examine its witnesses, and present the defence case.
Sentencing and appeal
Where conviction follows, sentencing is a distinct stage with its own arguments. The Criminal Code provides for mitigating circumstances, and the material supporting them has to be assembled and presented. Convictions and sentences may be appealed, and a decision containing a basic error of law may be taken to the Cassation Division of the Federal Supreme Court.
Matters we handle
- Offences against property — theft, breach of trust, fraud and related offences
- Corruption and economic offences
- Offences against the person, including assault and homicide charges
- Traffic offences causing injury or death
- Offences arising out of business and commercial activity, including tax and customs matters
- Representation of complainants and victims participating in criminal proceedings
What we will and will not tell you
We will give you a realistic assessment of the case against you, including when the evidence is strong. Clients are not helped by optimism that the file does not support. What we will not do is predict an outcome we cannot control, or promise influence over any decision-maker. Our work is confined to presenting your case as effectively as the law and the facts permit — which, done properly, is a great deal.
Everything you tell us is confidential and protected.