Joint Select Committee Debates INDECOM’s Power To Prosecute.….

As the debate rages about the pow­ers of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), to arrest and pros­e­cute mem­bers of the police force, a Joint Select Committee of Parliament on Thursday, con­tin­ued to exam­ine whether the body should be giv­en more pow­er to oper­ate and widen its remit.

INDECOM has been press­ing the gov­ern­ment to amend sec­tions of the act under which it oper­ates. The changes, being sought by Terrence Williams, INDECOM’s Commissioner, are geared at giv­ing the body pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al pow­ers sim­i­lar to that enjoyed by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). However,the police and the army have vehe­ment­ly object­ed to the request say­ing it will under­mine fair­ness and will be to the detri­ment of their mem­bers. In her pre­sen­ta­tion, Paula Llewellyn, DPP, said sev­er­al crit­i­cal issues must be con­sid­ered before a deci­sion can be made. “If the con­flicts are not prop­er­ly resolved and if there is not at the heart of the process col­le­giate con­sul­ta­tion, what will hap­pen is that the pros­e­cu­tion of a case inves­ti­gat­ed by INDECOM and the police or INDECOM alone or the police alone — which also touch­es and con­cerns INDECOM, will be under­mined.” She said the sit­u­a­tion is fur­ther com­pound­ed by a lack of clar­i­ty in who should take respon­si­bil­i­ty for a crime scene and oth­er dis­crep­an­cies under Section 33 of the INDECOM Act.

According to Sanchia-Gaye Burrell , Deputy DPP , as it stands the lack of clar­i­ty in the act gives allowances to cre­at­ing a doubt about one’s inno­cence. “Defense coun­sel will always latch onto what­ev­er it is that they believe will advance their clients case, now we will have to be placed in a posi­tion to have to clar­i­fy — why does JCF have some, why does INDCOME have some, who is inves­ti­gat­ing?” she said. The DPP also stat­ed that INDECOM has to fos­ter greater respect for the groups chal­leng­ing its request. She sug­gest­ed that if amend­ments are to be made, then pro­vi­sion should be put in place to man­date fur­ther con­sul­ta­tion on the part of in INDECOM in pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al matters.
Story orig­i­nat­ed here: http://​rjrnew​son​line​.com/​l​o​c​a​l​/​j​o​i​n​t​-​s​e​l​e​c​t​-​c​o​m​m​i​t​t​e​e​-​d​e​b​a​t​e​s​-​i​n​d​e​c​o​m​s​-​p​o​w​e​r​-​t​o​-​p​r​o​s​e​c​ute