Leading the 2016/2017 budget debate in the Upper Chamber yesterday, Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson touted the progress of the Swift Justice Initiative instituted by the government in 2012.
The attorney general said since coming into office in 2012, there have been major improvements in the system.
Maynard Gibson said a drastic decrease was shown in the backlog of cases which was pegged at 1,058 in 2012 and dwindled to 739 cases in 2014.
She also reported that in 2012 1,109 persons were granted bail and this decreased to 902 persons.
She also pointed out that in past years, it took almost one year for a suspect to return to court for a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI); while family members of murdered victims waited in agony.
“In the bad old days, when those on the other side were in charge, it would take almost a year to present a VBI. You can’t even get your trial going. You can’t even put things behind you. You can’t put the matter behind you Madame President and move on,” said Mrs. Maynard Gibson.
“What’s happening today, the VBI is presented in 70 days.
“Last year we had seven murders tried from charge to trial, to conviction in one year,” she said.
“The point I’m making here today, is for those families that have been torn apart by such trauma, it is the obligation of the system to bring comfort to those families by rapidly dealing with these matters. It can happen, it should happen, and there is no excuse for the failure for it to happen,” she added.
Mrs. Maynard Gibson pointed out that in 2012, under the previous Free National Movement administration, it took over 340 days for a VBI to be presented, compared to now in 2016, with the wait being only about 70 days.
Reiterating that “the system is working”, Mrs. Maynard Gibson at the same time sent a warning to criminals.
“I am pleasantly, and happy Madame President, to report that the men who were accused of the murder of police detective Wayne Rolle were tried and convicted within one year of committing that offense,” she said.
“And you would recall that the men who were accused of attacking Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander were tried and convicted within nine months. I want to make the point that we are not going to tolerate any attack on policemen who are doing their duty. They’re putting their lives on the line every day to protect us. It’s not going to be tolerated. It’s not going to be tolerated,” she lamented.
