The new government also wants approval of a law to protect witnesses and to encourage plea-bargaining.

ECONOMIST: Peru

This followed a complex legal process that included the Supreme Court, lower courts and plea-bargaining.

ECONOMIST: Israel

FATF's fans admit that some plea-bargaining goes on, but insist that it does not let countries off lightly.

ECONOMIST: That infernal washing machine

NGO, the government missed an opportunity to use plea-bargaining to reveal the truth.

ECONOMIST: Colombia

While in jail awaiting trial, he has reportedly engaged in plea-bargaining by confessing to participating in a Libyan plot to murder the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The Faisal Gill affair

Some lawyers worry that, in their current pursuit of corporate big fish, prosecutors might be tempted to abuse the plea-bargaining process to secure damaging false testimony from smaller fry.

ECONOMIST: Corporate crime

The government has virtually unlimited resources, immense experience in playing to an attentive (and often subservient) media, the ability to intimidate witnesses into testifying, and a habit of plea-bargaining its way to victory.

FORBES: Leveling the playing field: Immunized Witnesses for the Defense

Silent treatment A year ago we argued that the U.S. federal government had overreacted when it sentenced the computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, 36, to five years in jail--more time than most plea-bargaining killers serve (" Kevin Mitnick, the hackers' first martyr").

FORBES: Another Look

Underlying the revolving door is a pernicious underbelly of overzealous and often unfair prosecutions, juked conviction stats, and a culture of plea-bargaining that is spiraling out of control, all in order to bring down some of the biggies in the business world.

FORBES: The Revolving Door at the Department of Justice

MSPs will also look at staffing levels, fiscal fines and plea bargaining - as well as relations between the Crown Office, the Scottish Executive and the police.

BBC: Criminal justice system under scrutiny