Ministerial statement: K Shanmugam on setting up a Public Defender’s Office
A Public Defender’s Office (PDO) will be set up to provide criminal legal aid to more needy Singaporeans. It will benefit more households than the current Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS), with a per capita household income cut-off of S$1,500. It will also cover more types of offences. The PDO will be fully funded by the Government, with full-time lawyers serving as public defenders. However, it will be a hybrid model with some cases being outsourced to a panel of qualified lawyers to “preserve the pro bono spirit of the legal fraternity”. Announcing the details in Parliament on Monday (Apr 4), Law Minister K Shanmugam also spoke about preventing abuse of the system and ensuring fiscal sustainability. He said the PDO should start work by the end of this year if a Bill to codify the proposals is passed.
A Public Defender’s Office (PDO) will be set up to provide criminal legal aid to more needy Singaporeans. It will benefit more households than the current Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS), with a per capita household income cut-off of S$1,500. It will also cover more types of offences. The PDO will be fully funded by the Government, with full-time lawyers serving as public defenders. However, it will be a hybrid model with some cases being outsourced to a panel of qualified lawyers to “preserve the pro bono spirit of the legal fraternity”. Announcing the details in Parliament on Monday (Apr 4), Law Minister K Shanmugam also spoke about preventing abuse of the system and ensuring fiscal sustainability. He said the PDO should start work by the end of this year if a Bill to codify the proposals is passed.
Popular Shows
