SPECIAL PROSECUTOR POST CREATED TO INVESTIGATE CORRUPT CONDUCT IN PUBLIC OFFICE

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 23, 2023 (SKNIS): The historic passage of the Anti-Corruption Bill, 2023, in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly on February 22. 2023, established the post of a Special Prosecutor. The Special Prosecutor must be an Attorney-at-Law and may investigate and prosecute a public officer for a criminal offense of corrupt conduct or a civil claim related to corrupt behaviour.

While moving the Bill through Parliament, Senator and Attorney General, the Honourable Garth Wilkin, said that the appointment of a special prosecutor is one that the legal fraternity supports.

“The [St. Kitts and Nevis] Bar Association has no issue with the appointment of the Special Prosecutor, which is in full compliance with the Constitution of Saint Christopher and Nevis,” Senator Wilkin stated.

The Special Prosecutor is a public servant and will collaborate closely with bodies responsible for public demeanor.

“The Special Prosecutor will physically be working out of the Office of the Integrity Commission and [as outlined] in the Anti-Corruption Act, which was passed earlier today, has to report to the Director of Public Prosecution and the Integrity Commission, so I can report that there is no Constitutional issue with the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” the Attorney General added.

Also debated during Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Parliament was the Integrity in Public Life (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The three Bills were passed in the House without objection.
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