Attorney General proves not only is the country’s justice system improving – but that justice in The Bahamas today is swift!

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Strong leadership and excellent team in the country’s AG Office are turning things around into the right direction!

Attorney General Sen. Allyson Maynard Gibson - center - addresses the media at the AG's office on 29th Oct 2013 after the Supreme Court handed down the death penalty to Kofhe Goodman for the murder of Marco Archer. To her left is Vernette Graham Allen, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and to the left of the AG is the Asst. Director of Public Prosecutions, Garvin Gaskin.

Statement by:

SEN. THE HON. ALLYSON MAYNARD GIBSON ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND MINISTER OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

29 October 2013

Today Justice was served in The Bahamas. The death penalty was handed down in the matter of Kofe Goodman, the man convicted of murdering young Marco Archer.

I quote from the Decision on Sentencing handed down by Justice Bernard Turner, “This case is a clear and  compelling case for the ultimate sentence of death, to satisfy the requirements of due punishment for the murder of this child and to protect this society from any further predatory conduct by this convict at any time in the future.”

This government is committed to carrying out the most aggressive anti-crime programme that this country has ever seen.

Swift Justice is dramatically reducing the time it takes to bring criminal matters to court. All of our resources are deployed. All stops are out.

The execution of justice is a top priority for this government.

A few weeks ago the death penalty was handed down in the matter of Anthony Clarke.

Today the death penalty was handed down in the Kofe Goodman matter.

We are seeking the death penalty in the matter of Stephen “Die” Stubbs.

We intend to fight any delays or any abuses of the process with all the resources of our office.

I ask the nation to support in your prayers the hardworking Judges, police and prosecutorial team in OAG, led by the DPP,  the Deputy Directors and our Consultants.

END———

AG Gibson displays a graph to the press, illustrating the decline in the number of days to a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI). A VBI is presented to the court to bypass a Preliminary Inquiry so that capital cases can be fast tracked to the Supreme Court. She attributes this significant decline in days and reduction in delays to the effectiveness of the Swift Justice Initiative (SJI). She further said that the goal is to reduce the number of days to 30.

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