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Jamaica's Supreme Court has ruled that certain amendments made by the Government to the Bail Act last year are unconstitutional.
The ruling was handed down this morning.
The amendments which were passed last year July allows for persons charged with serious offences to be disqualified for bail for a maximum of 60 days.
The measure was implemented as the government struggled to deal with the high crime rate, and was expected to be in place for one year.
But Attorneys Marcus Greenwood and Norman Godfrey challenged the provisions after their clients who were charged for murder were affected by the provision.
In early May, they made their case that the amendments removed citizen’s fundamental right to bail.
Greenwood says the amendments also interfered with the role of the judiciary to make such determinations.
It’s understood that the judgement from Justices Horace Marsh, Leighton Pusey and Patrick Brooks was a unanimous one.
The ruling was handed down this morning.
The amendments which were passed last year July allows for persons charged with serious offences to be disqualified for bail for a maximum of 60 days.
The measure was implemented as the government struggled to deal with the high crime rate, and was expected to be in place for one year.
But Attorneys Marcus Greenwood and Norman Godfrey challenged the provisions after their clients who were charged for murder were affected by the provision.
In early May, they made their case that the amendments removed citizen’s fundamental right to bail.
Greenwood says the amendments also interfered with the role of the judiciary to make such determinations.
It’s understood that the judgement from Justices Horace Marsh, Leighton Pusey and Patrick Brooks was a unanimous one.