Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 10, 2020 News
In wake of COVID-19…
Kaieteur News – A collaborative agreement between the Judiciary and the executive arms of the government will see the implementation of several measures to deal with criminal trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; the Guyana Police Force; the Guyana Prison Service and the Judiciary have worked out an arrangement where they will partner to deliver a new initiative. The initiative, he said, will allow for criminal trials to be less affected by the challenges of the pandemic and one that will serve to expedite those trials.
He disclosed that the initiative “that is set to manifest itself” is the “installation of several containers, retrofitted with the technological apparatus at various prison centres that in each container it will have all the capacity to have Wi-Fi, a 55 inch television, a seat for the prisoner, handcuff facilities, etc.” so that a criminal trial could be conducted through that medium.
The container, he said, “will be so technologically equipped that you can patch in to a court and a Magistrate, a lawyer and a prosecutor will be able to conduct a criminal trial from that container location which will be close to a prison centre.”
He said eight containers will be sent to New Amsterdam and placed outside the New Amsterdam Prison. The prisoners, he explained, will then be escorted into that container and “they will be able to patch into whichever magistrate’s court they have a case ongoing.”
He added that a similar initiative will be executed at Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara, Camp Street in Georgetown and at the Mazaruni Prison.
The AG revealed that the containers are currently being retrofitted and the initiative is set to be launched within three weeks.
According to him,“that will bring immeasurable speed to the hearing and the determination of criminal trial as well as it will allow trials to take place and allow applications to be made. We had great difficulty in having them made in this COVID environment and you saw the result of that, unrest at various prison centres across the country.” He further stated that moves are being made to identify police stations with similar facilities for first hearings of persons charged for criminal offences. The Central Police Station is expected to be one of those police stations that will execute such.
“So defendants can come here or at identified physical locations and they will be in that room that will be patched into a magistrate’s court somewhere in Berbice and the charge will be read to that person from the police station and that person will be required to plea or don’t plea and to make any relevant application right from the police station,” said Nandlall. He added, “I say this to you so that you understand that the administration is very responsive and is very aware of the new challenges that face us as we continue to battle with COVID.”
He also mentioned that his Ministry will ensure that there is a Director of Public Prosecution office in Berbice and a police legal advisor in every division so that the divisional commander can have access to legal advice at all times.
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Apr 19, 2024
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