KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Findings from studies done on the proposed Public Defender’s Act to empower criminal cases legal aid services for the less privileged are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Currently, the committee formed to oversee the proposed act is conducting a comparative study of the legal framework for public defence in selected countries such as Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
“It considers the main input based on the legal framework and best practices in foreign countries related to public defence, the implications for holistic legal aid services, and the impact on existing laws in Malaysia, especially the Legal Aid Act 1971 and the Legal Profession Act 1976.
“This study is expected to formulate a new government approach and policy if the government is committed to creating a Public Defender’s Act,” she said when winding up the Supply Bill 2024 debate at the policy level for the ministry at the Dewan Rakyat today.
On Feb 24, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when presenting the revised Budget 2023, announced that the government will closely examine an initiative to enact a special Act to provide free legal aid for criminal cases to the less privileged.
— Bernama
