The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

WITH the judiciary experiencing a backlog in cases, particularly criminal proceedings, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe announced yesterday the appointment of a taskforce to address the persistent problem.

Speaking at the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s annual church service yesterday, Mr Munroe revealed that Chief Justice Ian Winder consented to the appointment of a taskforce to deal with the backlog of criminal cases.

Mr Munroe said this appointment would serve as a “bonus” for the administration of justice and the nation at large.

He said: “On a broader level, the administration of justice serves to protect both the social and economic interests of citizens and by extension, the wider society.

“To seek to address the backlog and our system, Chief Justice Ian Winder has consented to the appointment of a task force to address the causes of the backlog and move the system back to the swifter, more deliberate administration of justice,” he continued.

This comes as people out on bail continue to be murdered.

In a recent interview with The Tribune, Dr Carlos Reid, a consultant to the Ministry of National Security stated that 46 of the 128 murder victims last year were people who were either electrically monitored or on bail for murder.

This, he said, reflects that retaliation is one of the biggest contributing factors to crime in the country, noting that crime prevention and intervention are important, however, the country also needs to find ways to solve murder cases faster.

There have been four homicides so far this year, with two of those victims said to be alleged offenders.

Court officials have sought to get firearm trials completed within 21 days after arraignments to help prevent people from being killed while out on bail.

Last month, Mr Munroe revealed that the government was seeking to reintroduce the Swift Justice programme to help speed up court cases.

At the time, he first mentioned the plans to hopefully form a task force in the first quarter of this year to deal with the backlog of criminal cases.

“Justice must be delivered, but justice must also happen on a timely basis,” Mr Munroe told reporters in late December.

“Swift Justice was just a moniker that the previous PLP administration used. Clearly it wasn’t liked by the Minnis administration that replaced us. There wasn’t such a focus on it.

“We’re refocusing on it. And, as I say, we have arranged to have a meeting with the Chief Justice and senior justices in charge of the criminal division, we’ve agreed to have a task force to look at it - and speed it up even more - little, small things that may make a huge difference.”