Mr. Sebsib Abay
Administrator of Criminal Court

• Criminal bench is one of the three benches organized under Tigray regional state supreme court.
  • The bench is led and coordinated by a member of the Tigray Supreme Court’s strategic leadership.
  • According to proclamation number 332/12 Ec, which is reenacted to list the power and activities of the Tigray courts:
  • Each criminal bench is led by a central judge.
  • There are subdivisions established to support and facilitate the judicial activities and trial of cases.
• Though each division/section has its own duties and responsibilities, their common ultimate objective is to:
  • Deliver clear, speedy, cost-effective, and accessible judicial services.
  • Ensure the service aligns with customer satisfaction.
  • Combine both judicial independence and accountability.
• Cases being entertained and that fall under the jurisdiction of the criminal benches are:
  • The first kinds of cases are appeal cases that come from high courts:
    • The cases are either regional matters that fall under the first jurisdiction of the high courts or appeal cases that come from Wereda courts.
    • When the Wereda courts decisions are affirmed, the cases do not come to the criminal benches of the Tigray Supreme Court but go to the cassation division.
  • The second types of cases are those that fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal high court:
    • These cases are entertained in the criminal benches of the Tigray Supreme Court due to delegation given by proclamation number 1234/2021 and other applicable substantive and procedural laws.