A letter of representation is often a letter on the AGC that sets out explanations why they must both not demand you, drop charges from you or seek out a selected sentence through the court.
In idea, it is possible to send as quite a few letters of illustration as you like, but ordinarily a lawyer would mail amongst 1–three, according to the strategic considerations that will apply on your circumstance. This kind of letter could be despatched at any stage of proceedings from the investigation phase to the sentencing phase.
A letter of representation differs from a mitigation plea. A letter of illustration is addressed to your AGC and seeks their agreement pertaining to some aspect of your circumstance.
However, a mitigation plea is usually a authorized submission dealt with to and filed which has a sentencing courtroom with the target of offering the court docket With all the lawful and factual bases for your sentence that you are searching for, in cases in which you have now been identified responsible.
What Goes within a Letter of Illustration?
Topic reference
A letter of illustration, if written by an attorney, typically opens by using a reference to the individual getting represented while in the letter.
If charges have previously been introduced towards that human being, the letter might be captioned by reference to the situation number.
Final result remaining sought
The letter of representation will then commonly open with a short assertion that explains what final result to the situation the letter will seek out.
The doable outcomes That could be sought involve the charges currently being dropped, stern or conditional warnings being administered or certain sentences staying suggested on the court docket within the celebration of the guilty plea. These letters are sometimes also marked “without the need of prejudiceâ€.
Good reasons for the outcome getting sought
The letter really should then set out the information suitable to the case that help the end result remaining sought. According to the strategic things to consider in your case, the letter could check with:
Any evidence that supports the information on which you count to support the end result staying sought. Copies of these types of evidence could even be hooked up into the letter, but the decision on no matter whether to connect any evidence towards the letter is eventually a strategic just one to be taken by a lawyer, using into account many of the circumstances of one's scenario; or
The existence of witnesses who'll corroborate Those people details. These witnesses could even be determined in the letter.
Preferably, the letter of representation must make reference to related earlier scenarios which had resulted in outcomes much like Singapore Criminal Defence Lawyer People you might be trying to get, and explain how These circumstances are analogous (i.e. factually related) on your circumstance.
Your likely subsequent measures
The letter of illustration really should then briefly established out your possible next steps, based on regardless of whether AGC accedes to the ask for. These techniques can be to claim demo, plead responsible or make some relevant submission to court for instance.
Gives (if proper)
The letter can, if acceptable, also incorporate presents, with or without the need of an admission of guilt, to carry out other things such as write an apology and/or spend restitution to some victim, or to commit to voluntary Neighborhood programmes such as counselling or charitable get the job done.
Reservation of your respective rights
The letter, if drafted by a lawyer, should conclude with an acknowledgement that your lawyer has advised you on the legal consequences of being untruthful in the letter and a full reservation of your rights.
You may additionally desire to incorporate an affordable deadline in which you assume to get a response, Though there's no ensure the AGC can have any regard to this.
The best way to Ship the Letter of Representation and to Whom
These letters are typically sent in PDF structure by using a generic on-line sort maintained with the AGC for this intent.
If your circumstance is at a complicated phase of proceedings on the other hand, your attorney can also ship it to a particular prosecutor(s) (or ship it to only these types of certain prosecutor(s)).
What exactly are the Feasible Outcomes On Sending a Letter of Illustration?
If your AGC decides to accede to the request, they may create back to tell you of the and record any problems for their agreement.
Often, They might ship a counter-provide whereby they offer to endorse a selected sentence on the courtroom, or drop a number of prices, if you agree to plead guilty to some or all of the costs, and/or comply with A few other ask for like spending restitution into the victim.
When the AGC is unable to accede on your ask for, you could receive a pretty brief template reaction through the AGC stating that, possessing cautiously thought of your representations, These are not able to accede for your ask for.
From time to time, no response is sent, as well as prosecutor will basically mention verbally to the court docket that AGC acquired representations and that they won't accede on the request(s) therein.
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It ought to be crystal clear from the above that the drafting of the letter of representation is not a straightforward issue of sending a short letter requesting leniency or declaring you're sorry.
There are many requests to take into consideration and a number of permutations of all These requests, many of which may or may not be accessible or correct for you based on the points of the circumstance and also your very own profile.
Only a felony lawyer is ready to meaningfully suggest you regarding how to ideal advance your pursuits within a criminal investigation or prosecution.
That's why, If you're remaining investigated for a criminal offense in Singapore, you need to generally seek out lawful tips from a felony lawyer for the earliest achievable option.