A move is being made to increase the number of public defenders in the country’s criminal justice system.
This was revealed by Minister of Justice and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General Devesh Maharaj, who noted that this concern will soon be taken to Cabinet for approval to increase the current number.
“So the public defenders have turned out to be a kind of workhorse in the criminal justice system, and they do sometimes, Director, one person, sometimes handles about three to five matters a day. And we have a complement of about 42? I think close to 42 public defenders, and the demand is really, really a lot.”
Minister Maharaj stressed the importance of public defenders within the legal system.
“The judiciary also indicated that to us. You know, in the criminal arena, the criminal division, they do the bulk of the work, right now, defending persons, especially those who can’t afford it, and they have a sterling reputation for the work they provide.”
Director and Chairman of the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority, Renuka Rambhajan, echoed similar sentiments.
“The public defenders’ department has been a game changer in the criminal justice system. As a criminal practitioner myself who would have prosecuted, we had difficulties with getting attorneys to stay on matters, to defend persons, because they weren’t being paid. So the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority created the PDD department with the specific purpose of providing service to those who cannot afford attorneys. As a consequence, some people get the best attorneys, the State pays that cost for them, and they get proper representation.”
Mr Maharaj and Ms Rambhajan were responding to media questions following the launch of two new mobile Legal Aid Clinics for the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority on Friday.