Simeneh Kiros Assefa
The divergence of the law and the practice has never been as visible in other areas of law as it is in the area of Criminal Procedure. Hence, the title Criminal Procedure: Principles, Rules and Practices. In the first part, the book gives a succinct summary of the ideal procedure should the law be strictly complied with and the (political and economic) challenges in the administration of the criminal justice. For the main part, reproducing the relevant provisions of the law the book discuses the principles and the law on Criminal Procedure comprehensively. Court decisions are reproduced and discussed in order to show the practice and trends in the interpretation and application of the law. The only binding decisions in our legal system are decisions of the House of Federation on matters of constitutional interpretation and the Federal Supreme Court Cassation Division decisions by at least five judges, of which there are very few to refer to. The book approaches Criminal Procedure as a process; thus, it chronologically discusses the steps from crime reporting to the police to prosecution, trial and post judgment remedies. The comments on the law are intertwined with the discussion on the application of the law by the police, the prosecution office and the courts. 3
