A letter of representation is a letter to your AGC that sets out explanations why they ought to either not cost you, fall rates towards you or request a particular sentence through the court docket.
In theory, you'll be able to ship as lots of letters of representation as you prefer, but typically a lawyer would send out concerning 1–three, according to the strategic criteria that could implement to your situation. This type of letter can be sent at any phase of proceedings within the investigation stage into the sentencing phase.
A letter of illustration is different from the mitigation plea. A letter of illustration is tackled into the AGC and seeks their agreement about some aspect of your scenario.
Alternatively, a mitigation plea is usually a legal submission addressed to and filed using a sentencing court docket with the objective of giving the court Together with the lawful and factual bases to the sentence you might be trying to find, in cases where you have now been discovered responsible.
What Goes inside of a Letter of Representation?
Matter reference
A letter of illustration, if created by a lawyer, normally opens using a reference to the individual becoming represented within the letter.
If expenses have by now been introduced towards that man or woman, the letter might be captioned by reference to the case amount.
Final result currently being sought
The letter of illustration will then normally open up with a quick assertion that explains what end result to the case the letter will seek out.
The doable results Which may be sought involve the fees being dropped, stern or conditional warnings becoming administered or particular sentences getting advisable to your court docket in the occasion of a guilty plea. These letters are sometimes also marked “without having prejudiceâ€.
Motives for the result staying sought
The letter should then established out the facts relevant to the case that assistance the end result becoming sought. According to the strategic issues in the circumstance, the letter may perhaps make reference to:
Any evidence that supports the facts on which you depend to help the outcome remaining sought. Copies of these kinds of evidence may even be hooked up for the letter, but the decision on regardless of whether to attach any proof to your letter is eventually a strategic 1 to be taken by an attorney, using into consideration all of the circumstances of your circumstance; or
The existence of witnesses who'll corroborate All those info. These witnesses may well even be determined with your letter.
Ideally, the letter of representation ought to make reference to comparable past conditions which experienced resulted in outcomes similar to Those people you happen to be in search of, and describe how People instances are analogous (i.e. factually similar) towards your situation.
Your likely upcoming actions
The letter of representation should then briefly established out your very likely following actions, dependant upon whether or not AGC accedes for your ask for. These methods could possibly be to claim demo, plead responsible or make some suitable submission to courtroom as an example.
Provides (if appropriate)
The letter can, if ideal, also incorporate gives, with or without Singapore criminal lawyer an admission of guilt, to carry out other points including create an apology and/or pay back restitution into a victim, or to decide to voluntary Local community programmes for example counselling or charitable perform.
Reservation of one's legal rights
The letter, if drafted by a lawyer, ought to conclude by having an acknowledgement that your lawyer has recommended you about the legal consequences of remaining untruthful from the letter and a full reservation within your legal rights.
You might also would like to include a reasonable deadline in just which you assume to receive a reaction, Even though there is no assurance the AGC can have any regard to this.
How to Send out the Letter of Representation and also to Whom
These letters are typically despatched in PDF format by using a generic on the web form preserved from the AGC for this intent.
When your case is at a sophisticated stage of proceedings on the other hand, your lawyer may additionally send it to a certain prosecutor(s) (or send it to only these particular prosecutor(s)).
Exactly what are the Feasible Results Upon Sending a Letter of Representation?
If your AGC decides to accede to your request, They could compose again to inform you of the and record any conditions for their arrangement.
Sometimes, They might mail a counter-provide whereby they supply to suggest a certain sentence to the courtroom, or fall one or more expenses, in case you conform to plead responsible to some or all of the fees, and/or agree to A few other request for example shelling out restitution to the victim.
In the event the AGC is not able to accede to the ask for, it's possible you'll get a pretty quick template reaction within the AGC stating that, getting meticulously thought of your representations, They're not able to accede to the ask for.
From time to time, no reaction is shipped, plus the prosecutor will simply just point out verbally to the court that AGC acquired representations Which they won't accede to the request(s) therein.
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It should be obvious from the above mentioned the drafting of a letter of representation just isn't an easy issue of sending a short letter asking for leniency or declaring you will be sorry.
There are many requests to contemplate and a number of permutations of all Individuals requests, a number of which might or might not be readily available or ideal to you personally depending upon the points within your circumstance plus your have profile.
Just a prison law firm is ready to meaningfully advise you regarding how to most effective progress your pursuits in a criminal investigation or prosecution.
Therefore, if you are being investigated for a crime in Singapore, you should normally request lawful information from the felony law firm within the earliest doable prospect.