Budget cuts affect legal aid lawyers

The Ministry of Justice has informed the Law Society of Namibia that it is unable to pay all outstanding fees owed to private lawyers who performed work for the Legal Aid Directorate.

In a letter dated 15 December the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Issaskar Ndjoze, said the ministry was only able to make partial payments until 31 March because of budget cuts and the financial position the country finds itself in. The letter was addressed to the director of the Law Society, Retha Steinmann.

Ndjoze did not specify what the outstanding amount was.

He said the ministry was aware that there were outstanding invoices and had consulted with the Finance Ministry to release the necessary funds.

According to him the ministry is committed to make full payments of all outstanding invoices when funds are available. The ministry therefore requested all legal practitioners to avoid travelling for purposes other than proceeding with an actual trial or hearing in order to avoid unnecessary expenses.

The ministry requested the Namibian Law Society to inform all legal practitioners of the financial constraints it faced.

The ministry thanked the affected lawyers for their dedication to their clients and encouraged them to continue acting in the best interest of their clients to ensure a fair and legal trial.

Steinmann said she would only be able to comment after a council meeting that would be held today.

ELLANIE SMIT