Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:6 hours 19 min ago
Seetahal: Amendments to Evidence Bill needed
Published: 28 Oct 2009
Independent Senator Dana Seetahal has said proposed amendments to the Evidence Bill were needed to stop the collapse of trials from witness intimidation.
“People come in to the police at the time the incident happens, hot and sweaty, and they say I saw this person kill my friend or my brother or my mother,” Seetahal said in yesterday’s debate of the bill in the Senate. “Then they go back to the place they have to live and they get threatened. They get money. Most of the times they get threatened that, ‘something would happen to you and you do not want to go ahead.’” She said the admission of inconsistent statements was required to save T&T’s criminal justice system.
“‘I cannot remember. I forgot. I am suffering from amnesia. It did not happen. I lied.’ Mr President I have been involved in so many cases where that has happened,” Seetahal said.
“Witnesses are likely to change their minds all too frequently, so we need to have before a jury both sets of evidence, the original statements and what they are saying currently.” Seetahal referred to a local homicide case that saw the witness, who was also a murder accused, make claims of memory loss while on trial. She said: “The witness in that case also was charged with murder in another matter and he came before the courts and said ‘He forgot, He forgot, He forgot’.”
OPPOSITION CONTRIBUTION
OPPOSITION CONTRIBUTION UNHERALDED NEGATIVES SENSATIONALIZED -
The contribution of the opposition in trying to get answers for John Public goes unheralded. Despite all the ole talk from COP if you are not in parliament you do not have this weapon in your arsenal. The Government with its built in majority has used every trick in the book to frustrate the opposition.
1) Expelling the Leader.
2) Denying Members Speaking Day,
3) Refusal to or answer question on the order paper.
4) Inordinately long delays in answering questions on the order paper.
5) Sending Members to the Privileges Committee
6) Using Standing Orders to disrupt presentations.
7) Using Standing Orders to block Motions.
8) Divide and conquer the opposition.
It is only with the assistance of an outraged Independent Bench has the Opposition been able to bring the Government to any semblance of accountability.
Amendments to the Evidence
Amendments to the Evidence Bill:- These discussions and potential Amendments are way overdue. We need to update the Evidence Bill ti correct the loopholes that exist. Too often, we see criminals walking free after all sorts of shananigans have taken place, even the killing of witnesses. First statements, whether documented on paper, or on Video should be given the same attention as any other following evidence. We should however, attempt to get as much evidence from witnesses on video, as it may be more reliable and convincing. As it stands our justice system gives the appearance of being a lame duck. Speak up Ms. Seetahal and give your intelligent input, as we need to have Legislations that can match the crimes being committed in T&T. But, at the same time we have to be very careful what types of changes we put in the Amendments before we give it our Stamp of Approval.
Gardenia