Tina Amanda
The public has been warned to stop interference with court proceedings such as investigations and prosecution on criminal matters, as it is an offence liable to three years imprisonment or a fine under the Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP) Act.
The Chairperson of International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, Rivers State, Adata Bio-Briggs, who stated this while sensitizing the people of Abuloma community, in Port Harcourt local government area, said there is a high incidence where people try to disrupt ongoing investigation and prosecution of criminal cases already in court.
She maintained that it is against the law for people to seek out of court settlement or cover up tracks to investigation in a criminal matter, just as she said justice should be served to the victim all parties in all criminal cases.
“Under the VAPP Act, if you try to disrupt investigation and stop prosecution proceedings, it is an offence and the person who committed such act will be sentenced to three years or pay fine of five hundred thousand naira.
“We have high incidences of cases where litigants in the middle of investigation change their story, in the middle of prosecution they change their story. They decide out of court settlement, it is an offence and should no longer be tolerated.
“You can not settle a criminal matter outside court, any form of settlement the litigant want is for the accused to plead guilty, and when he or she pleads guilty, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, there is something called plead bargain.
“Through the plead bargain method, the accused can get a lesser sentence, be given a none custodian sentence, meaning the person do not need to be in prison or the court may decide to take the person to a rehabilitation centre.
“When people try to cover up abuse and criminal cases, it is intended to make the victim a victim once again. It is better for justice to be served. Once you have successfully prosecuted the matter to the end, the accused would be unable to perpetrate such crime against another person and it will motivate other victims to speak up because they have seen justice done to the culprit.”
Meanwhile, some participants at the sensitization program, in an interview with our correspondent, urged the public to ensure justice takes its full course, as no amount of money collected for out of court settlement can be equated to the pains, trauma and damages done to the victim.
They explained that people tend to try to settle out of court because the right procedures are not been followed right from the Police Station to the court, due to corruption that has eaten deep in the society.
They maintained that every offender should be allowed to go and face his or her crime and let the court be determining factor for every crime committed.
