The matter against former MP Dean Jonas will proceed on April 3, and should the prosecution fail to have their house in order, the case could be dismissed.
Jonas — the former minister of Social Transformation and Gender Affairs — is charged with resisting arrest, making use of threatening language, disorderly conduct, assault and battery after an incident that occurred at his Scott’s Hill home on February 23.
Last week, his lawyer Wendel Robinson surprised the court with a submission, arguing that the police have no jurisdiction to prosecute criminal matters according to Section 31 of the Criminal Prosecutions Service Act passed in 2017 which repealed Section 31 of the Police Act, Cap. 330.
This morning, Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh ruled that the police can prosecute the matter based on a letter written by the DPP, giving them the authority to do so.
More details in tomorrow’s Daily Observer.