PRE-TRIAL hearings will now be allowed in criminal court cases, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has revealed via a new legislative bill.
The new legislation, outlined in the Criminal Procedure Bill 2021, will lessen the need for tortuous legal arguments during criminal trials by enabling technicalities to be established before a jury is sworn in and a case goes to trial.
It is thought that the measures will make the court process more efficient as issues such as the admissibility of evidence – which can delay and even entirely upend criminal trials – will be dealt with in advance of the trial.
The change has come in response to several reports detailing the ineffectiveness of the current system, particularly relating to cases of white-collar crime, as well as on the state’s ability to protect witnesses in sexual offence cases.
Minister McEntee said that delays and multiple adjournments throughout the process of a trial can adversely affect the victims involved.
The legislation should come into effect by the summer, providing it clears the legislature by the summer recess.
