The Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde is concerned that certain politicians are attempting to mislead the public in relation to criminal justice matters.
Pryde has issued a statement after People’s Democratic Party President, Lynda Tabuya stated in a newspaper article in reference to the death of a four-year-old child that the state has taken no action to charge the parents for criminal negligence.
Pryde said Tabuya is then quoted as saying that the PDP will enforce prosecution upon those who purposefully neglect their children as deterrence.
The DPP said section 117 of the constitution states that it is the DPP that is the sole authority in deciding whether to initiate criminal proceedings.
Pryde said the decision is made according to the sufficiency of evidence and whether it is in the public interest.
He stresses that a decision to prosecute or to discontinue criminal proceedings is made by the Director of Public Prosecutions alone and without reference to or in consultation with the Attorney General or any other Minister or Government entity.
Pryde said the position by the People’s Democratic Party that they intend to enforce prosecution is unconstitutional and amount to improper interference in the independence of the Office of the DPP and the criminal justice system.
Pryde further said that Tabuya has not been properly advised and her statement is incorrect as all suspicious deaths are investigated by the Police.
However the ultimate decision by the state to charge the parents is made by the DPP.
He said Tabuya should also note that in the past year the Police have referred six separate matters involving the deaths of children as a result of negligence to the Office of the DPP resulting in five prosecutions being initiated in the courts.
We called Lynda Tabuya several times however she could not be reached for comments.
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We will have more later today.
