Anambra Introduces Plea Bargain to Speed Up Criminal Trials

The Anambra State Government has introduced a plea bargain policy for eligible criminal suspects, as part of efforts to accelerate the administration of justice and reduce delays in the prosecution of criminal cases across the State. The initiative, however, excludes suspects standing trial for serious offences such as murder, rape, armed robbery and kidnapping, which the Government said will continue to undergo full prosecution in accordance with the law. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, said the decision was in line with the provisions of Section 156 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State, 2022. He noted that it had become both necessary and timely to operationalise and mainstream plea bargain, as a key component of the State’s criminal justice system. According to the Attorney-General, all Defendants facing criminal trial for eligible offences will henceforth be issued a Plea Bargain Form by the prosecuting Counsel or officer, who is also expected to notify the Defendant of the option to enter into a plea bargain by completing the prescribed form. Nweke explained that completed forms must be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for consideration, warning that any criminal charge filed without complying with the new directive would be deemed to have been instituted contrary to the Government’s policy, and could be discontinued. He further directed that every plea bargain agreement must form part of the prosecution process, and be endorsed either by the head of the legal department of the prosecuting agency or, where the matter is being handled by law officers of the Ministry of Justice, by the Attorney-General. The Attorney-General said the policy forms part of the judicial reform agenda of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, which is aimed at ensuring speedy and efficient dispensation of justice. He recalled that the Governor had pledged, both in his manifesto and the Solution Agenda, to work closely with the legislature and the Judiciary to improve the efficiency of the judicial process, and guarantee timely justice for the people of Anambra State.