Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors of the Office of the Attorney General could not reach the districts to prosecute cases. So, the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) was given the power of attorney to prosecute. And this has come as a challenge for them. However, to ease those challenges, Bhutan National Legal Institute is conducting training on trial advocacy for police prosecutors in Haa since Monday.
Ngawang Gyeltshen, a prosecutor with the Tsirang Police had been prosecuting cases since 2015. He said he faced challenges but gained new experiences as well owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The office of the Attorney General gave us the power of attorney to prosecute cases of any grades. We confronted with challenges at first but we sought help from officers and seniors,” said Ngawang Gyeltshen.
There are 19 prosecutors from the Royal Bhutan Police and two officials from the Royal Bhutan Army attending the training. The Chief of Police said these prosecutors would be also trained on in-depth investigation skills.
“Our intention is to make the prosecutors here investigators. If they investigate the cases by themselves they can then prosecute the cases in the court efficiently. Currently, one does the investigation and someone else prosecutes. In the process, the prosecutors sometimes can’t prosecute well as others did the investigation. That annoys the court resulting in the dismissal of cases,” said Major General Chimi Dorji, the Chief of Police.
Such kind of training is expected to enhance smooth procedural of crime detection, prevention and prosecution.
“Through this training, we would be able to understand the updated clauses and their amendments in the Acts. We would then be able to provide our services efficiently,” said Thuji Yoenten who works in Wangdue Police Division.
The Training is expected to impart skills and knowledge to carry out effective prosecutions before the courts of law. It will also provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and challenges in the administration of justice.
NamgayWangchuk, Haa
