Opposition votes with Government to pass Administration of Justice bill

The opposition People's National Movement (PNM) joined the Government Friday to unanimously pass the Administration of Justice Indictable Proceedings Bill, which required a special majority.

The vote came after the government agreed to change one clause to get the support of PNM members. 

Clause 31 a fine $250,000 or five years imprisonment for publishing evidence that breached the legislation; it was to $150,000 dollars or two years imprisonment.

Clause 31 restricts the printing and publishing of certain matters, which runs counter to the Constitutional Right of Freedom of the Press. 

In presenting the legislation Minister of Justice Herbert Volney said the infringement of individual rights is justifiable if it is in the interest of the greater good.

"The rights of the individual must be balanced against the interest of national security, the public, the economic wellbeing of the country, and the effective functioning of our criminal justice system. When these interests conflict, the public interest or the common good must prevail where reasonably justifiable," the minister stated.