About the Basel Institute on Governance
The Basel Institute on Governance is a hands-on centre of competence dedicated to promoting good governance and countering corruption for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Established in 2003 in Basel, Switzerland, the Institute works with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice and policy on anti-corruption, asset recovery and business integrity. With field operations worldwide, it has some 150 staff covering 32 nationalities. The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.

Project: Anti-Corruption Support programme (ACS)
The International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) is a specialist centre of the Basel Institute on Governance. With funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), ICAR has been supporting Tanzania’s anti-corruption and economic crimes authorities to build capability to investigate and prosecute corruption cases and recover illicit assets. The current phase of the ACS (October 2025 – September 2029) includes the provision of case-based assistance and technical support to the Zanzibar Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Authority (ZAECA), Zanzibar’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Zanzibar Economic Crime Centre (ZECC) and the Zanzibar Judiciary.

Assignment
Cooperation and engagement with the Zanzibar Judiciary enables ICAR to support the entire asset recovery chain. To date, ICAR has supported the development of the Zanzibar Asset Recovery Guidelines, which were launched by the Chief Justice of Zanzibar in May 2024.

The first part of this assignment will involve the Judicial Consultant leading a review of the Zanzibar Asset Recovery Guidelines. The second part will involve the Judicial Consultant developing a programme of support – to be rolled out under the ACS – to assist the Judiciary in preparing for the development of a new Economic Crime Court in Zanzibar.

We anticipate that this support will assist the Zanzibar Judiciary in exercising their judicial discretion and use of legal tools for the advancement of the recovery of illicit assets directly or indirectly linked to criminality, the management of seized/forfeited assets and greater use of legal tools with the objective of either preventing the diminution in value of the assets or maximising the value of assets recovered for the state.

Activities and timeline
The Zanzibar Asset Recovery Guidelines are a single compendium of asset recovery laws, rules of court, regulations and practice directions relevant to Zanzibar. Since its launch in May 2024, ICAR is seeking the services of a judicial consultant to review its use and implementation in Zanzibar by the Judiciary, specifically with the aim of identifying:

best practices to date (if any);
the legal, procedural and practical challenges experienced; and
the scope for increasing the use of existing asset recovery tools.
The work will involve collaboration with Zanzibari counterparts, who may include:

The Office of the Chief Justice
Chief Court Administrator and Chief Registrar
Rules Committee
Judiciary of Zanzibar’s training body
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
Parliamentary draftsmen
ODPP, law enforcement agencies and other criminal justice stakeholders
This work will commence in April 2026 and be completed by the end of June 2026. The initial contract will be for an initial 18 days for the review of the Zanzibar Asset Recovery Guidelines, and technical input on the design of a programme of assistance to the Judiciary.

A further 45 days are envisaged to deliver the programme of support to assist the Judiciary in preparing for the development of a new Economic Crime Court in Zanzibar. The implementation of this second part of the assignment will be subject to the agreement of the Zanzibar Judiciary, and the performance of the Judicial Consultant.

Reporting
The consultant will report to the Basel Institute’s Zanzibar based Senior Specialist, Asset Recovery.

Qualifications
Essential Qualifications

A minimum of 8–10 years of judicial experience as a presiding Judge, in a common law African or Commonwealth jurisdiction, adjudicating in serious financial crime cases
A demonstrable track record in developing and mentoring members of the bench
Strong technical expertise in proceeds of crime, asset recovery, asset management and the enforcement of confiscation/forfeiture orders
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to contribute to policy discussions with national and international stakeholders
Excellent speaking and writing fluency in English
Desirable Qualifications

Recent or current experience as a serving Judge in an East African jurisdiction
Previous prosecutorial experience of in an East African jurisdiction
Experience of different institutional models for asset recovery
Fluency in written and spoken Kiswahili

Interested applicants should submit a C.V. and cover letter, detailing the applicant’s: (i.) relevant experience for the role; (ii.) their availability; and (iii.) their proposed daily fee rate. Expert CVs should be limited to 5 pages.