No obstructions to sentencing based on murder confessions, says PG

Prosecutor General (PG) Muhthaz Muhsin has said that there are no obstructions to issuing sentences based on confessions in murder trials, and that sentences are in fact already being given based on confessions in such cases.

In an interview to Sun Online, Muhthaz said that in serious criminal cases, however, sentences cannot be issued based on confessions alone, and that suspects must be asked to provide detailed information on how the crime was carried out.

“The judges have to ask detailed questions, and our prosecutors have to ask questions, to find out how it [the crime] happened. What were the reasons? How did it come up? How was the victim murdered? By using a knife, or some other weapon? Simply saying that the claims are clear and confessing, and saying ‘I killed him’ – this is not enough. Questions have been asked in detail. I don’t think there are any obstructions, and I don’t think this can be obstructed.”

On a different note, Muhthaz said that efforts are ongoing by the PG Office to establish a policy on not prosecuting first-time offenders for petty crimes.

He added that in such cases, however, police records will be checked and leniency would not be granted if person had been arrested repeatedly, even though he had never been convicted.