Louis Ng on Public Defenders Bill

The Bill to to establish a Public Defender's Office (PDO) is a significant step towards increasing access to criminal justice, said MP Louis Ng. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Aug 1), he also sought clarifications on the Bill. One of them relates to the relationship between the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and the PDO. Mr Ng said there may still be some potential areas of conflict given the "proximity" of the Ministry of Law and the AGC. Even if there is no actual conflict, there may still be perceived conflict which can be equally as damaging, he said. Mr Ng said there is some basis for concern about conflict, given that the Government's position previously was that it may not make sense for it to be both prosecuting the accused and paying for the defence. He wanted to know what mechanisms are in place to address the potential areas of conflict and to ensure that the decision-making and operations of the PDO are independent of the AGC.