In a groundbreaking move which it had signalled, the government yesterday tabled a bill to end preliminary inquiries (PIs) and to move to paper committals.
At yesterday’s 81st sitting of the 12th Parliament at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira tabled on behalf of the Attorney General, the Criminal Law Procedure (Paper Committals) Bill 2024. It was then read for the first time.
According to the Explanatory Memorandum, the bill provides for the abolition of preliminary inquiries and the substitution thereof with paper committals, which involves reviewing the evidence and arguments presented by both the prosecution and defence in written form, rather than an oral in-person hearing.