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The Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice,
Mr. Olawale Fapohunda has said that the discontinuation of prosecution
of criminal cases at the request of crime victims will no more be
automatic in the State as all cases would be diligently prosecuted in
the interest of the public good.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the State expressed
deep concern over increase in the number of applications by victims
of crimes, their relatives and other interested persons requesting
him to discontinue prosecution of suspects facing trial over serious
offences.
Mr. Fapohunda said that it is more worrisome that subjects
matter of the applications often request for stoppage of prosecution
of accused persons facing trial over serious crimes such as murder,
armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism, rape and child-defilement.
Fapohunda stressed the need for caution in exercising the
discretionary power of the Attorney General to discontinue prosecution
in public interest adding that all applications shall be subjected to
proper review and determined by merit on case-by-case basis.
He emphasized that applications found to lack merit, unjust,
abusive of court process and against government‘s policy on crime
prevention shall be denied.
According to him, victims of crime, their relations and other
interested parties must cooperate with the State as witnesses or in
any other capacity as may be required if their application for
discontinuation of prosecution was denied stressing that they may
otherwise be indicted for compounding felony.
He however assured that applications found meritorious may be
granted unconditionally or conditionally in line with the State’s
policy on restitution, compensation and plea-bargaining in criminal
matters.
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