SL to introduce Plea bargaining procedures to ease backlog of cases in courts

By Ajith Siriwardana   

The Justice Ministry is in the process of introducing ‘Plea Bargaining Procedures’ to ease backlog of a large number of cases in Courts and to ensure justice is delivered through the judicial system, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said yesterday.   

He told Daily Mirror that 1,127,000 cases are pending in the courts in Sri Lanka and that Plea Bargaining law would reduce the number of trials and expedite to conclude the pending cases. 

The Minister said a Committee headed by Justice Vijith Malalgoda has been appointed to do a study and draft the law.   

“We have conducted several workshops and programmes on the matter with the participation of foreign experts, Chief Justice, Attorney General and Bar Association on the matter,” he said.   

He said 97 percent of cases conclude in the US on Plea Bargaining trial.   

“The system is adopted in Magistrate’s Courts in Sri Lanka as well. But there is no guarantee that convicts who plead guilty on Plea Bargaining would receive reduced sentences. We need to include provisions in the law to give that assurance,” he said.   

In plea bargains, prosecutors usually agree to reduce a defendant’s punishment after they plead guilty to the charges and agree to recommend that defendants receive reduced sentences.