This Week the National Assembly debated on the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill 2007 which was presented by Vice President Joseph Belmont.
The Bill sought to do three things:
1. Give the Magistrates more powers both in criminal and civil cases.
2. Introduce Plea Bargain as a statutory provision in the laws of Seychelles.
3. Give the Master and Registrar of the Supreme Court more powers to issue warrant after non compliance with summons.
All members who spoke on the motion supported the first and third amendment which they say was long overdue. However members of the opposition expressed reservation vis-à-vis the second amendment which will make it possible for a person to enter into a plea bargain agreement with the Attorney General’s Chambers in return for a lesser charge and sentence.
Honourable Frank Elizabeth (DP) who was the first to speak on the Bill said that he was not against the first and third amendment but he made it clear that he was not supporting the Bill on the plea bargain aspect because of its inherent dangers. He said that in a recent case before the Seychelles Court of Appeal the three Justices of Appeal ruled that a conviction based on the evidence obtained as a result of a plea bargain agreement is unsafe, unreliable and unacceptable. The Appellant was accordingly acquitted. We publish below the speech of Hon. Elizabeth delivered in creole and which was well received by all opposition MNAs.
"M. Speaker, sa proze de lwa ki devan lasanble pe demann lasanble pou rekonet lekzistans sa konsep lalwa, ki parey sa ki nou ki angaze dan travay zidisyer, nou apel “plea bargaining” ki ekziste dan lalwa angle e plizyer lezot zirisdiksyon, me ki pa ekziste e ganny rekonet dan lalwa Sesel. M. Speaker kestyon ki vinn antet tou de swit se ki sa vedir “Plea bargaining?” Plea bargaining I senpleman en mekanism ki donn en dimoun kinn ganny sarze ek en lofans kriminel en swa pou swazir ant pled koupab e abandonn son dwa kostitisyonel pou ganny zize pou sa lofans an retour pou en santans mwen sever. Dan sa ka ki mon fek ilistre si sa dimoun I refize aksepte sa deal e I pled non koupab, I pou bezwen fer fas avek prose e ganny zize. Si apre ki sa dimoun inn ganny zize I ganny trouve koupab I pou bezwen fer fas avek en santans ki sever. Se sanmen sa ki bann expert inn konsider koman en retaliasyon par leta kont bann dimoun ki ekzers zot dwa konstitisyonel pou ganny zize olye pled koupab. E sa pratik inn ganny bokou kondanen.
Me sa ki biro Prokirer Zeneral inn anmenn devan lasanble I en pe pli konplike ki sa, dan le sans ki I fer 2 dimoun kinn ganny zarze ansanm pou trair kamarad e enn I blanm lot pou komet sa lofans e li an retour pou son korperasyon, I ganny en santans ki mwen sever tandi ki son dalon I ganny en santans ki pli sever si I deside pa pled koupab e fer fas avek prose. Sa enn ki korpere li, I pled koupab e apre vinn en temwen lata kont son dalon e ede fer son dalon kondanen. Eski nou vreman konpran ki sa proze de lwa pe demande?
M. Speaker, mon konsern avek en tel sityasyon se ki manyer en Ziz pou teste e evalye levidans en kondonen kinn fer en deal avek avoka leta pou li sov son lekor e apre donn levidans kont son dalon koman en temwen leta? Ki manyer nou pou konen si sa dimoun I vreman pe koz laverite oubyen I pe met son dalon dan problenm par koz en ta manzonz akoz li inn fer en deal pou sov son lekor? Eski sa kalite levidans I sof e kredib? Eski lakour I kapab depan lo sa kalite levidans pou kondann en dimoun? Eski I swetab ki lakour I servi sa kalite levidans pou kondann en dimoun? Tou sa la I bann konsern ki devret ganny adrese. Anou pa taye pou vot an faver en proze de lwa e apre dir C’est ma faute, C’est ma faute, C’est ma tres grande faute!
Mon mon kwar si leta napa levidans kont en dimoun I pa merit pe sarz sa dimoun dan premye enstan. Si I pratik biro Prokirer Zeneral pou sarz dimoun ek en lofans kriminel menm ler napa levidans kont sa dimoun e apre swete ki son dalon I fer en deal e donn levidans kont li pou ganny en konviksyon, mon M. Speaker mon pou lav mon lanmen dan sa bann demars. Demen ler enn manm nou fanmir I vwar li dan en tel sityasyon ki mon fek eksplike, la ki nou pou realize dan ki pyez nou’n antre ladan. Mon pozisyon viz-a-vis sa proze de lwa I retse enn ki kler e senp. Mon anvi dir avek biro Prokirer Zeneral, si ou napa levidans kont en dimoun, ou pa sarz li ditou olye depan lo levidans son dalon kinn fek fer en deal avek ou pou kondann li. Mon dir sa M. Speaker, akoz mon konsyan danze ki anan avek en tel levidans. Si twa Ziz lakour dapel inn vwar li neseser pou kondann sa pratik koman enn ki pa swetab, koman enn ki pa akseptab, ki danzere e ki anan bokou risk ki en dimoun I kapab ganny kondonen inosaman, lekel nou pou desid otreman.
M. Speaker nou systenm zidisyer inn servi nou byen ziska prezan menm dan labsans en tel proze de lwa. Akoz ki gouvernman inn vwar li neseser pou amen sa proze de lwa la an 2007, e non pa avan sa? Rezon I tre senp e mon, mon panse ki sa proze de lwa inn vinn neseser akoz en kes ki ti pas an kour resaman e apre ki tou le de lakize ti ganny kondanen enn ladan ti fer rapel devan lakour dapel e konteste lefe ki inn ganny kondonen lo levidans son zanmi ki tin fer en lagreman “plea bargain” avek avoka leta. Lakour ti fer kler dan son zizman ki lalwa Sesel pa rekonet en kondanasyon kinn ganny fer an rezilta en lagreman “Plea bargain.” Lakour ti dir ki en tel kondanasyon I pa satisfezan e I les bokou dout si sa dimoun ti vreman koupab. E la sa dimoun ti ganny large e son konviksyon ti ganny deklare pa valid.
M. Speaker I anan en gro danze avek en tel konsep lalwa e sa mon kwar lasanble I merit konsyan avan nou vot lo sa proze de lwa. Danze se ki en dimoun kinn ganny arête e prosekite ansanm avek en lot I toultan anan en tandans pou li sov son lekor e blanm lot pou lofans ki limenm inn komet. La danze se ki parfwa en lakize I riske pe koz manzonz e blanm lot lakize zis pou li ganny en santans ki mwen sever tandi ki lot I ganny santans maksimonm. M. Speaker en dimoun inn deza dir ki plito 99 dimoun koupab I pa ganny kondannen par lakour pou lofans ki zot inn komet olye en dimoun ki inosan I kondanen e al prizon pou lofans ki li I pann komet. E sa mwan kwar I en konsern reel pou sosyete an antye. Anmenm tan ki nou pa oule dimoun ki koupab pe sorti an kour san ganny kondanen nou osi pa oule dimoun ki inosan pe ganny kondanen e pe fer santans prizon ler zot pa koupab. E en danze kler avek en tel proze de lwa se ki en dimoun ki inosan I kapab ganny kondonen e pey pou le koupab. Petet nou pa pe apresye signifikans e lenplikasyon sa proze delwa me mon asire ler enn manm nou fanmir I vwar li kwense dan en tel sityasyon ki nou pou realize lo kwa mon pe koz lo la ler mon dir ki sa proze de lwa I enn ki danzere e I merit ganny rezete.
M. Speaker, plea bargain I osi kapab ganny servi dan en sityasyon kot en dimoun ki nou kwar i koupab I ganny demande pou pled koupab pou sov letan presye lakour an retour pou en santans mwen sever sirtou enn kot sa dimoun pa pou bezwen al dan prison. La ankor M. Speaker I anan ankor serten danze. Inn arrive dan le pase kot dimoun ki inosan inn ganny met anba bokou presyon pou pled koupab par avoka leta, lakour e menm parfwa zot prop avoka, ler an efe zot pa koupab, e resers inn montre si zot ti pled non koupab e fer fas avek zizman a la fen dizour lakour ti pou tre probab pa vwar zot koupab. M. Speaker, sa, resers inn prouve langleter osi byen ki lanmerik, e sa pratik plea bargaining inn menm ganny kondanen severman par bann group dwa imen e lezot lorganizasyon ankor. M. Speaker mon kwar I tre neseser pou nou regarde e konsidere akoz sa pratik inn vinn en nesesite dan ladministrasyon lazistis kriminel Sesel. Rezon akoz dimoun kinn ganny sarze avek en lofans kriminel pe vwar zot ganny met anba bokou presyon pou fer en lagreman plea bargain e pled koupab an retour pou en santans ki pa tro sever set akoz nou sistenm lazistis pe vwar li de pli zan pli difisil e anba bokou presyon pou deal avek lakantite kes e krim ki pe kontinyelman ogmante e anvair lakour.
An mezir ki nou pep I agrandi, e dimoun I vinn pli sofistike, bann kriminel osi I rod fason kreatif e sofistifike pou komet plis krim. Sa I fer ki nivo krim I ogmante me anmenm tan nou pa pe vwar en logmantasyon dan kostriksyon plis lakour ek lapwentman plis ziz ek mazistra pou fer fas avek sa fleo ki pe fer fraka dan nou sosyete. M. Speaker mon mon kwar ki si ti anan bokou plis lakour e bokou plis ziz ek mazistra ki nou anan an se moman ti pou napa en nesesite pou nou ozordi konsider en tel proze de lwa. La mon tya demann gouvernman dan sa bann prosen mwan ki a pe vini pou seryezman konsider apwent plis ziz ek mazistra e osi konstri plis lakour pou retir presyon ki anan an se moman lo nou sistenm zidisyer. Anou pa obliye ki Zidisyer I represent enn dan sa twa pilye nou demokrasi e I osi enportan ki Ekzekitif ek Lezislatif. Nou sistenm zidisyer I osi zwe en rol primordyal dan nou sosyete. Alor an menm tan ki mwan vwar li neseser pou pa siport sa proze de lwa presizeman akoz sa bann konsern e defayans ki mon fek ilistre, mon tia osi profit sa lokazyon pou demann gouvernman pou pran an konsiderasyon sa bann pwen ki mon fek souleve e adres zot o pli vit posib. Pou bann rezon ki mon fek mansyonen, mon pa pou siport sa proze de lwa. Mersi M. Speaker."