The Copenhagen City Court has recently placed a 39-year-old man in pretrial detention after he confessed to a murder committed nearly 12 years ago. The case concerning the sought-after man, Omar Sheik Muse, is notable as he has already been convicted of the same crime in Somaliland, a self-declared state in the Horn of Africa. Despite this prior conviction, the Copenhagen Police are now calling for a new trial in Denmark.

The 39-year-old has already served five years and ten months of a ten-year sentence in Somaliland for the murder of Jonas Thomsen Sekyere. The victim, who was 21 years old, was stabbed in the heart at the nightclub Bakken in Kødbyen, Copenhagen, one early November morning in 2012. The incident occurred after Muse had been drinking and experienced a blackout, as he explained in court.

While criminal law typically prevents a person from being punished twice for the same crime, special prosecutor Søren Harbo asserts that Denmark does not recognize sentences handed down in Somaliland. He added that any time Muse has already served in Somaliland would be considered if a new case is brought in Denmark.

Even if Denmark were generally obliged to recognize Somaliland’s sentences, Harbo argues that a new trial could still be established if the legal proceedings in Somaliland are deemed incompatible with Danish legal principles. In this case, the Somaliland trial was primarily supported by testimony from an investigator and a lieutenant, as well as images from Google Street View.

Defense attorney Poul Hauch Fenger did not contest the detention but hinted that he would work towards his client’s release in the near future. During Thursday’s court hearing, the 39-year-old appeared in black joggers and displayed a noticeable limp, responding to questions in a quiet and slow manner.

After fleeing the crime scene and washing the murder weapon in an apartment, Muse left Denmark and traveled to Somaliland, his father’s homeland. Following his release there, he managed to escape to Ethiopia. The search for him continued, and over the summer, he contacted the police and provided the number of the Danish prosecutor, which led to his arrest and subsequent return to Denmark.

This case prompts intense discussions regarding international legal systems and the sense of justice in Denmark as the country assesses how to handle a conviction from a non-recognized state like Somaliland.