DPP: No politics in Dhanraj case

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Geoffrey Henderson, has denied recent statements in the media that the decision to charge former minister of local government, Dhanraj Singh, with murder had been politically motivated. Dubbing such remarks as injudicious, he asserted: “I consider it my duty to place on record the fact that there was no such advice, direction or inappropriate level of contact and that the charge was not on the instruction of any Government or political party.” Henderson said when the results of a criminal investigation were referred to the DPP there were two stages in the actual decision to prosecute — the evidential test and the public interest test. “It is only when both questions are answered in the affirmative that charges are laid.”

Noting that section 90(3) of the Constitution vested the DPP with exclusive power to institute criminal proceedings, he said: “In the exercise of this power, the Director of Public Prosecutions is not subject to any supervisory control by the Attorney-General, the Government of that day or any political party.” Henderson added: “It follows that any statement that suggests that criminal charges were laid as a result of ‘political manipulation and conspiracy’ or that a political party should blame itself for the outcome of a trial because it took a decision to use the testimony of an assasin, must be regarded as inappropriate and ill-advised. Such responses are potentially damaging to the proper administration of criminal justice in respect of which this office plays a pivotal role.” He said he and his staff were committed to maintaining the highest standards of prosecutorial competence, propriety, impartilaity, independence and integrity.