The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has responded to a journalist's question on the difference between a Non-Prosecution Agreement and a plea bargain.
During a press briefing on Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) at the Information Service Department on June 13, 2025, he said NPA is a possible outcome of plea bargaining where prosecutors agree not to prosecute a suspect in exchange for cooperation or other benefits. "A non-prosecution agreement (NPA) is an aspect of a plea bargain," Dr Ayine explained.
According to him, the agreement grants protection from prosecution, allowing suspects to avoid trial.
NPAs can be conditional or unconditional, depending on the terms negotiated. "When we sign a non-prosecution agreement, we usually immunize the person from prosecution-sometimes on certain conditions or sometimes unconditionally," he stated. "A plea bargain is simply a negotiation between the prosecutor and someone suspected of a crime," he further explained.
