Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum tried to get in touch with the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar regarding the issue where her comments at a consultation have been labelled as inappropriate by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde and the Fiji Law Society.
Sayed-Khaiyum says he has not been able to speak to Akbar however he had a conversation with Pryde.
Pryde had said in an article published in the Fiji Times, Akbar has said she would lobby for stricter measures in every single case of domestic violence and sexual offences because it could save lives.
He says sentencing is a judicial function and undertaken carefully by the courts in accordance with the Sentencing and Penalties Act 2009 and the relevant judicial tariffs for the offence.
Law Society President, Wylie Clarke has stated sentencing matters must be left to the discretion of the judiciary, and ministers should be careful when commenting on criminal law matters.
