What is a Bail Agreement?

Bail is an agreement in which a person makes a written undertaking to the court. A person who is in custody because he or she has been charged with an offence or is involved in pending criminal proceedings, may apply to be released on bail.

Generally, when a person signs the bail agreement, he or she undertakes to be present every time the matter is in court until the proceedings are finished, to comply with any conditions set out in the agreement as to conduct while on bail and to forfeit a specified sum of money if the person fails, without proper excuse, to comply with any term or condition of the agreement.

If you fail to attend court when you are required, or if you breach any other condition of your bail, a warrant for your arrest can be issued, and you may also have to pay the amount of your bail (or in the case of a cash bail, you may forfeit the amount you have already paid).

Varying a Bail Agreement
Although a bail agreement is intended to continue until the court proceedings have ended one way or another, the authority granting bail or the court, can at any time vary the conditions of an agreement, or revoke it altogether. What this means is that the accused can make an application to vary his or her bail agreement, for example if he or she has changed their address.

If you would like to know more about your rights and options, Straits Lawyers are here to help. We are now offering online services in both English and Chinese.

Please note that this article does not constitute legal advice and Straits Lawyers will not be legally responsible for any actions you take based on this article.