Prosecutors’ code launched
in other parts of the Caribbean, such as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia.
The code was realised through collaboration with the DPP’s office, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funded by the Government of the United States of America. But Ali-Hack emphasised that the code is a Guyanese one made by her office for Guyanese prosecutors.
DPP Ali-Hack said that the code was drafted by British attorney David Robinson, who worked at the UN office here for some time and in 2006 worked as the legal director to the UK government for a body which investigated alleged miscarriage of justice in complex cases heard in England and Wales.
She said it is hoped the code will prevent the very miscarriage of justice in Guyana.
The DPP said that Robinson was unable to be at yesterday’s launch as he is at his current posting in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is the Regional AntiCorruption Advisor for East Africa. She, however, expressed gratitude to him and the UNODC, Georgetown, by which the project was facilitated and financed.
Improving justice system
Meanwhile, United Nations Representative Mikiko Tanaka on behalf of the UNODC said that the code represents a significant criminal justice initiative which will positively affect Guyana and beyond.
In commending the code to the people of Guyana, she said that the UN was pleased to be associated with the realisation of the code which she said will aid in a more transparent justice criminal system.
Pledging his support for the code and committing to continued collaboration with the office of the DPP, Deputy Commissioner of Police Paul Williams said that the police force will immediately embark on training with the code as a means of improving its fight against crime and bringing criminals to justice.
Describing the launch of the code as monumental for the criminal justice system, acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards said it can be used as an important prosecutorial tool in bringing offenders to justice.
Stating that it is both user- and reader-friendly, Justice CummingsEdwards said that implementation of the code would have raised the bar for higher standards of prosecutions.
While lauding the efforts of all involved in bringing the code to fruition, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo opined that the guiding principles therein will indeed assist greatly in improving the standard of the criminal justice system.
He said that the code will not only ensure that justice is done, but that it is manifestly seen to be done as the transparency which it affords will allow for greater public understanding and participation in the entire process of criminal prosecutions.
The Prime Minister noted, too, as did both the Chancellor and the DPP, that in following the code in ensuring that only cases with a real prospect of success is prosecuted, then it will rid the justice system of cases which are doomed for failure and reduce the backlog and even overcrowding in the prisons.