Number of beneficiaries of state-guaranteed legal assistance to be increased

Chisinau, Oct. 13 /MOLDPRES/- A legislative initiative that will result in an increase in the number of beneficiaries of state-guaranteed legal assistance was voted today in the first reading, in the plenary session of the Parliament, with the vote of 75 deputies.

"The aim of the project is to strengthen the system of legal assistance guaranteed by the state, in order to effectively ensure the right to defense, first of all, of people with disabilities and those with low incomes, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution", one of the authors legislative initiative, Artemie Catănoi said.

The document provides for an increase in the income ceiling of people who can receive free legal assistance, guaranteed by the state. Thus, the beneficiaries will be citizens with incomes lower than the monthly salary in the real sector, which is currently 3,500 lei (about 185 euros). Until now, legal assistance guaranteed by the state was offered to people with incomes lower than the subsistence minimum, which in the second half of last year was 2,183 lei.

The authors of the bill, deputies of the Action and Solidarity Party, Artemie Cătănoi and Viorel Barda also propose that people with severe or pronounced disabilities, regardless of the amount of income, should benefit from state-guaranteed legal assistance.

According to the data of the National Council for Legal Assistance Guaranteed by the State, last year, over 47 thousand people benefited from qualified legal assistance guaranteed by the state. For the remuneration of lawyers, 73,522.7 thousand lei were allocated from the budget.

Photo: Parliament