Section 285 Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) Lagos

Section 285 Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, as amended in 2021, is about Costs against private prosecutor. It provides as follows:

(1) A Court that acquits or discharges a person charged with an offence, if the prosecution for such offence was originally instituted on a summons or a warrant issued by a Court on the complaint of a private prosecutor, may order such private prosecutor to pay to the defendant such reasonable costs as the Court may deem fit and the payment of such costs or any part of it may be ordered by the Court to be
made out of any moneys taken from such person on his arrest or may be recovered by distress.

(2) No order as to costs as aforesaid may be made if the Court considers that the private prosecutor had reasonable grounds for making his complaint and the costs awarded shall be as the Court shall deem fit.

(3) Costs shall be awarded under this section and may be in addition to any compensation awarded and accepted under section 290.

[/membership]