A letter of illustration is really a letter into the AGC that sets out explanations why they ought to possibly not charge you, drop costs versus you or search for a selected sentence from the courtroom.
In concept, you are able to mail as a lot of letters of representation as you want, but normally an attorney would ship between one–3, based on the strategic factors that will utilize to your scenario. This type of letter is usually sent at any stage of proceedings through the investigation stage to your sentencing stage.
A letter of illustration is different from the mitigation plea. A letter of representation is resolved towards the AGC and seeks their settlement concerning some element of your situation.
Conversely, a mitigation plea is actually a lawful submission tackled to and submitted using a sentencing court docket with the objective of giving the court Along with the legal and factual bases for that sentence you're trying to get, in circumstances in which you have currently been observed guilty.
What Goes in a very Letter of Representation?
Issue reference
A letter of representation, if composed by an attorney, typically opens having a reference to the person getting represented while in the letter.
If prices have now been introduced towards that person, the letter can be captioned by reference to the case number.
Result getting sought
The letter of illustration will then normally open with a quick statement that clarifies what end result to the case the letter will request.
The achievable results that may be sought include things like the fees being dropped, stern or conditional warnings becoming administered or precise sentences being advisable into the court while in the party of a responsible plea. These letters are occasionally also marked “with out prejudiceâ€.
Motives for the result becoming sought
The letter need to then established out the details appropriate to the situation that support the end result staying sought. Based on the strategic factors in the case, the letter could seek advice from:
Any proof that supports the details on which you count to support the outcome currently being sought. Copies of these types of evidence could even be connected to your letter, but the choice on no matter whether to connect any evidence towards the letter is eventually a strategic 1 to generally be taken by a lawyer, having into account the many situation of the case; or
The existence of witnesses who will corroborate Individuals specifics. These witnesses may perhaps even be identified inside your letter.
Ideally, the letter of illustration really should make reference to similar past circumstances which experienced resulted in outcomes just like Those people you are searching for, and make clear how All those conditions are analogous (i.e. factually similar) for your situation.
Your very likely following techniques
The letter of illustration should then briefly set out your most likely up coming methods, determined by irrespective of whether AGC accedes to your request. These measures may be to say demo, plead responsible or make some suitable submission to court docket such as.
Offers (if suitable)
The letter can, if suitable, also contain gives, with or with no an admission of guilt, to perform other things for instance create an apology and/or pay back restitution to some sufferer, or to commit to voluntary Local community programmes including counselling or charitable do the job.
Reservation of your respective legal rights
The letter, if drafted by a lawyer, ought to conclude with an acknowledgement that the law firm has recommended you within the legal outcomes of becoming untruthful from the letter and a full reservation of the legal rights.
You might also desire to incorporate an affordable deadline inside of which you count on to receive a response, Though there's no ensure the AGC may have any regard to this.
How you can Deliver the Letter of Representation and to Whom
These letters are typically despatched in PDF structure by means of a generic on the net sort preserved through the AGC for this goal.
Should your situation is at an advanced stage of proceedings however, your law firm may send out it to a certain prosecutor(s) (or send it to only this sort of precise prosecutor(s)).
Exactly what are the Achievable Results On Sending a Letter of Representation?
In the event the AGC decides to accede on your ask for, they may compose again to tell you of this and list any situations for his or her settlement.
Sometimes, they may deliver a counter-supply whereby they provide to propose a selected sentence towards the court docket, or drop one or more prices, should you agree to plead responsible to some or all of the fees, and/or conform to Another request for example spending restitution to your sufferer.
If the AGC is unable to accede to the ask for, Singapore criminal lawyer chances are you'll get a extremely quick template response with the AGC stating that, owning carefully deemed your representations, They may be not able to accede on your ask for.
Sometimes, no response is sent, along with the prosecutor will only point out verbally to the court that AGC received representations and that they will not accede on the ask for(s) therein.
—
It ought to be distinct from the above which the drafting of the letter of representation just isn't an easy make any difference of sending a short letter asking for leniency or declaring you will be sorry.
There are plenty of requests to look at and numerous permutations of all Individuals requests, some of which might or might not be obtainable or appropriate to you personally with regards to the facts within your situation and your individual profile.
Merely a criminal attorney is in a position to meaningfully recommend you on how to best progress your interests inside of a legal investigation or prosecution.
Hence, For anyone who is getting investigated for against the law in Singapore, you must usually request authorized advice from the criminal law firm in the earliest probable possibility.