KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck will make a statement in the House of Representatives this afternoon regarding plea bargaining.

The minister explained in August that changes are to be made to the Criminal Justice (Plea Negotiations and Agreement) Act, to make the legislation more effective and to speed up the pace at which justice is delivered to Jamaicans.

He explained that the amendments, will, among other things, allow for the defence counsel to be part of the plea bargaining process, and to negotiate with the prosecutor and judge regarding the sentence to be imposed.

The Act, which was introduced in 2006 and amended in 2010, allows people accused of crimes to plead guilty and give testimony or information in return for a reduced penalty.

Also on the agenda for today’s sitting, which starts at 2:00 pm, is a second statement from Minister of Transport and Mining Mike Henry, in response to questions raised by the Opposition, yesterday, about the ownership of New Day Holdings — the company acquiring Noranda Bauxite’s investments in Jamaica.

Opposition MP Ronald Thwaites will speak on “The Road Traffic Act”. The State of the Constituency Debate will continue with: Floyd Green (South West St Elizabeth) Dr Lynvale Bloomfield (Eastern Portland); Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn (West Rural St Andrew); Dwayne Vaz (Central, Westmoreland) and Evon Redman (North East, St Elizabeth).

Balford Henry