Attorney General Alfred Sears said on Tuesday that a Witness Protection Bill will be high on the agenda when parliament comes off its recess in October.
“It is very important so that the administration of justice could be free from criminal acts of intimidation,” he told The Bahama Journal.
“I think that the rule of law is secure when any person feels free to come forth and to tell the court what one may have seen, heard or know.”
He pointed out that a similar bill that outlines the penalties for intimidating or interfering with a witness had already been presented to parliament.
“Our intention is to withdraw that bill when we lay on the table the Witness Protection Bill which is a more comprehensive [proposed piece of] legislation dealing with all aspects of securing the attendance and safety of witnesses,” Minister Sears said.
He said the Witness Protection Bill was drafted after extensive review by the relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of National Security and the Office of the Attorney General.
Minister Sears said that both offices were given the opportunity to review witness protection programmes in other countries before they outlined some of the clauses in the new bill.
“We have had the benefit of reviewing the witness protection system in Jamaica and Trinidad and in fact the authorities in both countries have visited us and shared their direct experiences in administering the witness protection system,” said the attorney general, who added that the bill is now before Cabinet.
The government has received support from a number of Caribbean jurisdictions and the United States in assisting the Bahamian government with securing witnesses from time to time, he indicated.
“We have informal arrangements where we have called upon cooperating countries to assist in securing witnesses during the length of a trial and investigations,” Minister Sears said.
He indicated that the Witness Protection Bill would address the issue of tampering with and threatening witnesses.
This has become a concern for police officers who have suggested that persons found guilty of these actions should face serious penalties.
Last week, Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson re-stated his unwavering support to the institution of a witness protection programme.
Police Chief Superintendent Hulan Hanna has said that witness tampering is a major problem in The Bahamas and acknowledged that in some cases witnesses are being offered bribes, advantages and even have had their lives threatened to prevent them from testifying in court.
On Tuesday, the attorney general indicated that the bill would take a no nonsense approach to any interference with the administration of justice in The Bahamas.
“The Witness Protection Bill would seek to eradicate witnesses being dissuaded and intimidated from testifying before the courts,” he said.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
