The Chief Judge (CJ) of Lagos State, Opeyemi Oke says plea bargain is an integral part of the state’s criminal justice system and that the controversy associated with it whenever adopted is needless.
Opeyemi made the clarification at a special training session for magistrates on plea bargain, Monday, in Lagos, saying its adoption as a procedure in criminal proceedings was to avoid undue delay in the dispensation of justice.
Plea bargain, also referred to as plea agreement or plea deal is any agreement in a criminal case between the prosecutor and defendant whereby the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a particular charge in return for some concession from the prosecutor, usually, a more lenient sentence, or a dismissal of the other charges.
One of the popular plea bargain case was one betwen Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of Edo State, (1999-2007) and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission(EFCC) in which the former governor got a lenient term refunding far less than accused of stealing from his state.
According to the Lagos CJ, the concept of plea bargain which is gradually gaining ground in Nigeria, is famous in the legal and socio-political lexicon.
“In Lagos State, the Administration of Criminal Justice Law has lent its hands in a push toward the adoption of the concept of plea-bargain as an accepted procedure in criminal proceedings.
“Arguably, since its incorporation as a feature of our criminal justice administration, it has proven to be a useful tool in aiding criminal justice administration and has also curtailed undue delays in the dispensation of criminal justice,’’ Oke said.
She argued that plea bargain saves judicial time and resources, reduces trauma on the victim, helps in prison decongestion and case management as well as reduces the number of awaiting trial inmates.
“A considerable number of high profile cases prosecuted by anti-graft agencies has been concluded using the plea bargain tool which, to my minds, is a form of criminal justice package on its own. It is here to stay and it gladdens my heart that we are here to partake of the wealth of knowledge and experience from our distinguished faculty,” she said.
Oke said that the importance of regular training for magistrates could not be over-emphasised, as it would keep adding to their knowledge.
The training session for the magistrates was organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Programme (RoLAC) funded by the European Union and managed by the British Council.
JOSHUA BASSEY
