By Kebba AF Touray
The Gambian Parliament on Tuesday 10 September 2024 continued the consideration of the Criminal Procedures Bill 2020.
The bill, among others, seeks to re-enforce the right to fair and speedy trials of accused persons by specifying reasonable timelines that have to be adhered to by the prosecution and the courts.
The bill, tabled by former Justice Minister Abubacarr M Tambadou, was introduced in the parliament in the 2020 legislative year.
After its introduction which marks the first reading stage, it underwent the second reading stage, during which the lawmakers made their observations on the bill.
They showed their support for the bill, which seeks to help curb the practice of delay in the trial at the courts.
After that, it was referred to the committee of the whole house for consideration, which continued on Tuesday the 10.
Former Minister Tambadou told the assembly, “This Bill is the first attempt at undertaking a comprehensive review of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Gambia since the enactment in 1933”.
The bill, he added, seeks to align the Criminal Procedure Code with current trends and practices including provisions relating to probation, parole, plea-agreements, police supervision on convicts, alternative sentencing, the trial of corporate bodies, private prosecutions, protection of witness and victims, etc.
The bill also streamlines the exercise of the court’s discretion in granting bail by providing clear guidelines for the administration of bail.
He told the lawmakers of the Fifth Legislature that “the Bill also seeks to re-enforce the right to fair and speedy trials of accused persons by specifying reasonable timelines which have to be adhered to by the prosecution and the courts”.
