Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has made amendments to the rules to withdraw charges against minors involved in cases where they have agreed to participate in a diversion programme.
The purpose of the diversion programme is to prevent the offender from committing crimes, providing opportunities to apologize and repeat crimes. The amendment to Article 18 of the Rules of Procedure for Juvenile Accused of Criminal Offenses requires that a criminal case be filed with the diversion plan within that time if the case is eligible for the diversion programme.
PGO stated that the section added to the rules provides that in cases where a child who is entitled to diversion under the Juvenile Justice Act enters into a diversion agreement with the prosecutor, the prosecution may be withdrawn if the prosecution proceeds in accordance with the terms of the agreement.