What Is A Surety In The Criminal Code Of Canada?
A surety is an individual who ideally is well-known to the accused and is willing to supervise the accused while they are on bail awaiting their criminal charges to be resolved.
In order to act as a surety, the individual must:
- Be an adult (18+);
- Be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant;
- Have financial asset(s) to pledge;
- Not be involved in the offence the accused was charged with;
- Not be the accused"™s counsel;
- Be able to monitor the accused;
- Be willing to report the accused if he or she breaches any conditions of the release order; and
- Not have received any promise or consideration in exchange for being a surety
While not an absolute bar, a suitable surety will also possess the following characteristics:
- No criminal record;
- No outstanding charges;
- Not currently acting as a surety for someone else; and
- A person with meaningful links to the accused;
