AN OUTSIDE MAGISTRATE IS TO BE APPOINTED IN THE CASE AGAINST THE PROSECUTOR CHARGED WITH DEFEATING THE ENDS OF JUSTICE

AN OUTSIDE MAGISTRATE IS TO BE APPOINTED IN THE CASE AGAINST THE PROSECUTOR CHARGED WITH DEFEATING THE ENDS OF JUSTICE

The Ga-Rankuwa Regional Court postponed the case against Regina Letshoo (48), a former prosecutor charged with defeating the ends of justice, to 24 January 2023, for a Magistrate outside the North West jurisdiction to be appointed. This move is appropriate to avoid misconceptions of bias, as Letshoo was a state prosecutor in the cluster where the case will be sitting. The state is ready to proceed with a pre-trial when the matter resumes next year. Letshoo will remain out on a warning and is expected back in court when the matter resumes in January 2023.

Her court appearance emanates from alleged misconduct committed on 27 August 2020, where she took a docket on a case involving a foreign national, who was charged with possession of the suspected stolen property after he was found driving an unregistered vehicle, failing to produce legal documentation, and she allegedly omitted information from the docket to favour the accused. Her alleged misconduct ultimately resulted in the release of the suspect and the matter struck off the roll.

When the docket was ultimately found, following a daily audit of cases that appeared in court, the omissions were noted with her signature, authorising the release of the suspect. It is also alleged that she was not scheduled to report for duty on that day as per the rotational schedule during the Covid 19 restrictions. A duplicate docker which was kept by the chief prosecutor was then utilised to re-enrol the case. Police are still searching for the suspect in that matter. Letshoo has since seized to be in the employ of the National Prosecuting Authority in September 2022, after rendering her resignation while on suspension.

The North West Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Rachel Makhari Sekhaolelo, welcomed the appointment of an outside presiding officer. “We welcome the move to appoint an outside presiding officer, for us to conduct a fair trial which will not be misconstrued by any suspicions of bias”, she added.