RIYADH, 26 May 2004 — The National Committee for Lawyers is studying a plan under which those who cannot afford legal counsel are given legal aid.
Ahmad Mazher, the association’s president, said that lawyers were preparing the proper documents for submission and approval. The minister of justice is expected to issue a decision in the next few days.
Cases that could be handed free of charge will include both criminal and civil ones.
Dr. Hasan Al-Mulla, the president of the committee in the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said the plan would be negotiated with the Ministry of Justice to determine who was eligible for legal aid.
But Al-Mulla said it was unlikely that the committee itself would pay for legal aid. He said many other countries already have such a system.
