As part of the planned changes to the Criminal Mutual Aid Scheme, people who make misleading statements about their finances when applying for legal aid could face up to six months’ imprisonment or a €4,000 fine, reports RTE.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne introduced legislation to reform the current system.
Last year, the state spent €81.2 million on legal aid in criminal matters.
These changes will give the Legal Aid Board more powers to assess the income of people applying for legal representation, reports RTE.
The Council will be able to decide whether a person applying for legal aid is able to cover part of their own legal costs, instead of being fully covered by the State.
Courts will also be able to refer a person to the Legal Aid Board for an income assessment if they fail to provide key information, reports RTE.
The bill aims to make the justice system more victim-friendly and will expand the type of support and advice the Legal Aid Board can provide to victims.
Minister McEntee said changes to the legal aid system would help identify cases where it is being misused.
She said the reforms would not lead to a dramatic reduction in the amount spent on legal aid, but would allow for a framework to identify future abuses of the system.
Minister McEntee said there was currently no data to indicate where there could be potential abuse of the system, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.