You're Forgiven

Will all criminal cases go to court? Under the law certain offences can be compounded. There are two types of composition (the fancy name for "kompaun"). The one many of us is familiar with( especially you fast drivers along Damuan) is the payment of a penalty. For certain road traffic offences such as speeding, illegal parking and failure to comply with the directions of a police officer, the offender may choose to compound the case by paying a penalty which is usually $50 but which may be up to $500. If the penalty is paid, then the case will not go to court. Of course if the driver thinks he is not guilty, he may choose to fight his case in court though he risks being fined a higher amount if found guilty. Other offences which may be compounded include certain immigration offences for example overstaying and some customs offences such as importing certain prohibited items into the country.

Another type of compound is actually the forgiving of the offender by the victim. This is usually done in court for a limited number of offences such as causing hurt and causing damage to property. Both the offender and the victim will appear before a Magistrate. If the victim indicates his or her intention to withdraw the complaint, the offender will be acquitted. The type of compound is quite common in spousal abuse cases.

For other offences, the victim's forgiveness will not end the case. A thief maybe forgiven by the person from whom he stole but he can still be charged nonetheless. A "runding luar" (outside settlement) in a traffic case will similarly not make the offender immune to prosecution. So you will end up paying for the damages you caused and also a fine. You have been warned.