Yesterday, we told you all about the private prosecution against former Minister of State Elvin Penner. Well today the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Lynn Vidal made her position clear in a detailed letter to the press. She stresses that she's an interested observer in the COLA matter, but, she has not taken over their private prosecution, especially since her office has not even launched a public prosecution.
And her office hasn't done that because as she explains, quote, "I have not yet reached the stage where I am satisfied, on what has been presented to me by the police, that I can properly direct that charges be laid." The investigation is ongoing and the DPP says "the directives given (to police) 3 Fridays ago have not all yet been complied with." So she concludes, "If I am not in a position, at this time, to direct that charges be laid, then I am certainly not in any position to assume control of any prosecution brought by anyone else."
In that regard, we stress that the DPP was not in court yesterday. She adds that she "has not joined COLA", or "is appearing on behalf of COLA" because if she did, it would be a public prosecution, and it is not that, not at this point.
But she adds that depending on how things developed, she could foreseeable take over COLA's private prosecution and make a decision as to the proper way forward.
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