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Adjournments and more adjournments

Thursday 31 December 2015 | Published in Smoke Signals

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What is it with all the criminal cases that are adjourned, week after week, in the Rarotonga High Court? Something has gone badly wrong with the system here. The fault seems to lie in three directions – the Ministry of Justice (which works at glacial speed), the police and the lawyers, with the latter two always needing more time to consult with their “clients.” Meanwhile these miscreants keep enjoying their freedom and don’t get punished for their crimes. It’s nothing for cases to be delayed for 18 months and even two years or more, making the whole system a complete joke. And it’s the taxpayer who has to pay for this expensive mess.

What is it with all the criminal cases that are adjourned, week after week, in the Rarotonga High Court? Something has gone badly wrong with the system here. The fault seems to lie in three directions – the Ministry of Justice (which works at glacial speed), the police and the lawyers, with the latter two always needing more time to consult with their “clients.” Meanwhile these miscreants keep enjoying their freedom and don’t get punished for their crimes. It’s nothing for cases to be delayed for 18 months and even two years or more, making the whole system a complete joke. And it’s the taxpayer who has to pay for this expensive mess.


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