Advise Act of Singapore

Amended Legal Aid and Advise Act of Singapore

Singapore Parliament passed a bill recently amending legal aid and advise Act to provide a simple financial determination for providing legal so it is easier for the citizens who receive the Aid. Equality before the law is considered as one of the pillars in the modern democratic society. Every citizen must have a right to counsel so that they can represent their case in front of a judge.

The Legal aid provisions are generally implemented to assist the people who otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the courts. The right to fair trial is a fundamental right of every citizen. However, some people cannot afford the legal fees and therefore this provisions established to legal aid. In Singapore, anyone submitting an application for legal aid had to pass a threshold based on their disposable income and disposable capital. Also, a disclosure of savings of that individual, a value of the assets, and other expenses. So the previous procedure was screening the person entirely including the income and assets.  

The amendment intended to ease the process and provide for greater flexibility to the Legal ministry and their team to make discretion for aid. Each and every application made for this purpose is different and therefore must be treated separately. Providing a discretionary power to the panel make the procedure simpler to make the decision based on the facts in front of them.  The change will make an applicant procedure expedited with fewer documents required. The number of applicants for the legal aid increase every year in Singapore. The awareness among the citizens about the subject matter is very high and therefore it is noted that the procedural steps taken by the ministry are highly effective. Following that, the intended amendment will aim to provide the applicant with a greater relieve about their application made for the legal aid and their trust in this system will increase.