新加坡内政部：这项原则鼓励被告尽早认罪，或会减刑

林志蔚（盛港集选区）提问律政部长

（a）在发布《认罪减刑指导原则》后，认罪协议是否继续有效；

（b）如果有效，是在什么情况下；

（c）是否会在达成认罪协议的情况下，建议进一步减刑。

尚穆根（内政部长兼律政部长）：《认罪减刑指导原则》（《PG原则》）由判刑咨询团签发，目的在于鼓励被告尽早认罪。

《认罪减刑指导原则》根据被告认罪的不同诉讼阶段，明确了法庭可以给与的减刑范围。该原则中提出的建议减刑范围是宽泛的，目的是为法庭提供灵活性和自由裁量权，根据案件事实不同进而调整判决。如果理由足够充分，法庭还保留在特定案件中不适用《认罪减刑指导原则》的自由裁量权。

《认罪减刑指导原则》与认罪协议是不同的，也不会影响认罪协议。认罪协议是指在被告决定是否认罪前，控方与辩方之间进行的协商过程。控方可基于多种因素行使自由裁量权，向辩方提出认罪协议，包括通过认罪节省的资源、被告与调查的合作以及其他个人减刑情节。

如果被告接受认罪协议并选择认罪，法院在行使司法自由裁量权时，可以适用《认罪减刑指导原则》给予适当的减刑。

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Law (a) whether plea bargains continue to be offered following the publishing of the Guidelines on Reduction in Sentences for Guilty Pleas; (b) if so, under what circumstances; and (c) whether the Guidelines will recommend a further reduction in sentences where a plea bargain has been offered and agreed upon in exchange for a guilty plea.

Mr K Shanmugam: The Guidelines on Reduction in Sentences for Guilty Pleas (PG Guidelines) issued by the Sentencing Advisory Panel are intended to encourage accused persons, who wish to plead guilty, to do so early.

The PG Guidelines set out the ranges of reduction in sentence that a Court may consider granting, based on the stage of proceedings at which an accused person pleads guilty. The recommended ranges of reduction set out in the PG Guidelines are set out in broad terms to provide the Court with flexibility and discretion, to calibrate the sentence according to the facts of the case. The Court also retains the discretion to not apply the PG Guidelines in specific cases, if there are good reasons not to do so.

The PG Guidelines are distinct from, and do not affect, the plea bargaining process, which is the process of negotiation that may take place between the Prosecution and the Defence before the accused decides whether to plead guilty.

The Prosecution may extend a plea offer to the Defence as a matter of prosecutorial discretion based on various factors, including the resources which would be saved through a guilty plea, the accused person’s co-operation with the investigation and other personal mitigating circumstances.

If the accused person accepts the plea offer and elects to plead guilty, then the Court, in the exercise of its judicial discretion, may apply the PG Guidelines and grant an appropriate reduction in sentence.