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SENIOR criminal defence attorney Israel Khan, SC, believes the anti-gang legislation currently before Parliament is needed for the police to legally gather evidence to secure convictions against gang leaders.
Khan’s support for the legislation came in a letter to the editor of Newsday.
In congratulating National Security Minister Stuart Young for his contribution in the Senate on the Anti-Gang Bill, Khan said he was also of the view that the legislation provided for specific offences which were not included in any existing criminal law.
He was also critical of the Opposition’s abstention from voting on the bill.
The bill which reintroduced the anti-gang law was passed in the Senate with 24 senators voting in support, none against, while the six Opposition Senators abstained. The bill now goes to the Lower House for debate.
Khan told the Opposition senators that not voting for the bill sent a bad message, although he acknowledged that the law itself would not stop criminal gang activity
In his letter, Khan also addressed a claim by the minister that criminal defence attorneys were providing advice to gangs.
Khan said the code of ethics for attorneys prohibits them from giving service or advice that could be deemed disloyal to the State.
“And advising a gang leader on the commission of criminal matters is not only disloyalty to the State but the commission of a criminal offence at common law which carries a penalty of a long term of imprisonment,” he said.
Khan added that even without the anti-gang law, the police can charge an attorney or gang leader if they have evidence of a conspiracy to commit a criminal offence.
The post Israel Khan supports anti-gang law appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.