PARAMARIBO — The National Assembly (DNA) on Thursday (today) approved the claims of the Attorney General (PG) to indict three former political office holders. This means that the legal requirements of Article 140 of the Constitution and the Indictment of Political Office Holders Act (WIPA) have been met, allowing the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to continue criminal investigations, the Public Prosecution Service said in a press release.
Shortly after Parliament’s decision, the Public Prosecution Service was forced to explicitly point out an important legal principle. According to the prosecution body, DNA’s consent does not in any way mean that the guilt of the former ministers involved has been established. “The consent of DNA does not mean that guilt has been established. The judgment on the facts and criminal liability is reserved for the judge,” the Public Prosecution Service emphasizes in the statement.
“The parliamentary decision has only crossed a procedural threshold”
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The claims were submitted to parliament by the PG on March 9. Under the Wipa, permission from DNA is required before former political office holders can be criminally prosecuted for acts they may have committed during the exercise of their office.
Evidence
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the parliamentary decision has only reached a procedural threshold. This gives the prosecution agency the space to further conduct the ongoing investigations. Only after these investigations have been completed will it be assessed whether there is sufficient evidence to actually submit the cases to the judge.
If, after completion of the investigation, the Public Prosecution Service concludes that there is insufficient evidence, it may be decided not to institute further criminal proceedings. If the evidence is sufficient in the opinion of the Public Prosecution Service, the cases will be submitted to the Court of Justice in accordance with the legal procedure.
The Public Prosecution Service has announced that it will await the official notification of DNA’s decision before taking the next procedural steps. No further announcements will be made at this time about the content of the ongoing investigations and any future procedural actions.
