Bill on Legal Aid

The House of Representatives passed a Draft Bill on Legal Aid (“Bill”) on 4 October 2011, to ensure the constitutional rights of every citizen to obtain protection, legal certainty, and equality before the law. The Bill is also aimed at establishing state sponsored legal aid for underprivileged citizens to promote access to justice; and also to provide legal aid that serves social-justice goals.

Article 1 defines the key terms that will be used throughout the Bill. Pursuant to Article 1 (1), legal aid is defined as a free legal service performed by a legal aid provider for a legal aid beneficiary. Further, pursuant to Article 1 (2), a legal aid beneficiary is an underprivileged citizen.

Meanwhile, a legal aid provider, as elaborated on in Article 1 (3), is a legal aid institution or non-governmental organization that provides legal aid in accordance with the Bill. Furthermore, the term “Minister” in this Bill refers to the Minister of Law and Human Rights.