Sinclair rejects claims that plea bargaining absent from Firearms Act

Government Senator Charles Sinclair says a narrative created by some individuals in the legal fraternity that no provision exists for plea bargain under the current Firearms Act is inaccurate and misleading.

“What I find interesting is that no one appears to have spoken about the possibility of using the Plea Negotiation and Agreements Act in order to achieve for their client reduce sentence below the minimum mandatory,” Senator Sinclair, a prominent defence attorney, told journalists on Monday.

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“The 2022 legislation made a consequential amendment to the Plea Negotiation and Agreements Act and included in particular, I mean section 5, a provision which would be described as section 5.2a, whereby there can be pre negotiations done with the CROW and for persons to receive a sentence below the minimum mandatory of 15 years,” he added.