Launching of the Code for Prosecutors -Justice Must Be Done
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
“Justice must not only be done; it must appear to be done”, Prime Minister Moses V. Nagamootoo told State Prosecutors as he cautioned against criminal charges being instituted arbitrarily or capriciously against suspected offenders.
The Prime Minister, an attorney-at-law, was at the time speaking at the launching of “The Code for Prosecutors” at the Pegasus Hotel Guyana, this morning.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo stressed that prosecutors should show the highest respect for the Rule of Law, and should ensure that cases are made out on the basis of the objective test, which is the strength of evidence. Prosecutors, he said, should not seek conviction at all costs, but must pursue justice at all times.
He said that in cases where the Prosecution discovers that evidence has been adduced from torture, coercion or bribery, it should discontinue prosecution, after making full disclosure to defence. He advised against waste of judicial time, but stressed that price investigators should exercise diligence in collecting evidence, and make out cases that have real prospects of success.
The Code of Conduct for Prosecutors was launched today by the Director of Public Prosecutions, in the presence of the Chancellor of the Judiciary, the Chief Magistrate and a Corps of State Prosecutors.
-ENDS-