Govt to improve legal aid services in East Malaysia, says minister

 

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said her ministry would be organising more roadshows as well as the ‘Justice on Wheels’ programme. (Azalina Othman Said pic)

PETALING JAYA: The government intends to focus on improving legal aid services next year, especially in East Malaysia, Azalina Othman Said said.

The law and institutional reform minister said while there were mobile courts in Sabah and Sarawak, there was no mobile legal aid, Bernama reported.

“So what’s the use of that (mobile courts) if they don’t have the opportunity to exercise their rights under the law and they don’t know who to consult,” she was quoted as saying in a televised interview last night.

Azalina said the ministry would be organising more roadshows as well as the “Justice on Wheels” programme.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government would closely examine an initiative to enact a special Act to provide free legal aid for the less privileged who were facing criminal charges.

He said this when tabling the revised 2023 budget in February.

Azalina said that improving legal aid services was among Putrajaya’s three main focusses next year, with the remaining two being rescuing more individuals from bankruptcy and dealing with scammers.

This year, the government, via the amended Insolvency Act, helped 38,749 individuals get out of bankruptcy.

“That’s a progressive number and next year we aim to help another 130,000 more people.”

Azalina also said the cyber court, which began hearing criminal cases in 2016, would be empowered next year to deal with scammers or cyber and digital fraud, including cases that revolved around cryptocurrency and e-wallets. - FMT