Statements taken by video recording will be admissible in court cases under the proposed Evidence Amendment Act, Attorney General John Jeremie said yesterday.

He made the point while piloting the bill yesterday in the Lower House. Jeremie said the bill would make criminal prosecutions less difficult for the prosecution. The bill institutes major changes to the procedure governing evidence to prevent the collapse of cases which have occurred in recent years due to various problems with evidence such as recanting of statements, inaccuracies and people claiming statements were obtained under duress.

Jeremie noted difficulties faced by the prosecution in securing convictions for murder and kidnapping as a result of witness tampering, intimidation and elimination. Jeremie said career criminals had been manipulating the law as it now stood. He added that Government, in recent weeks, had been instituting pillars of legislation to secure T&T, including anti-money laundering bills, the proceeds of crime act and other financial regulations.

This empowers law enforcement to tackle organised crime, he added. Jeremie said the threat to the criminal justice system was now severe and Government could not allow the system to be frustrated. He said Government believed the measures in the bill were timely and necessary.