The con­sti­tu­tion­al pow­ers of the Di­rec­tor of Pub­lic Pros­e­cu­tions (DPP) ap­pear to be un­der at­tack in the Ad­min­is­tra­tion of Jus­tice (In­dictable Pro­ceed­ings) Bill.This was the state­ment made by In­de­pen­dent sen­a­tor El­ton Prescott, SC, dur­ing his con­tri­bu­tion to the de­bate on the bill in the Sen­ate yes­ter­day.Prescott not­ed that al­though the bill ac­knowl­edged the pow­er of the DPP to file an in­dict­ment against a per­son to be put on tri­al, it lat­er raised con­cerns when it states the court be­ing sat­is­fied that a case has been made out is em­pow­ered to or­der the ac­cused be put on tri­al.

"It says the Mas­ter (of the High Court) is em­pow­ered to or­der that the ac­cused be put on tri­al, even in cir­cum­stances where the DPP has not him­self act­ed to pre­fer an in­dict­ment," he said."I am con­cerned, un­less I have missed the point that that is the whit­tling away of the con­sti­tu­tion­al pow­ers of the DPP.