The criteria for providing free legal aid and the reasons for refusal will be revised so as to extend the categories of persons who can benefit from legal aid regardless of the size of income. Also, the mechanism for recovering the costs associated with state guaranteed legal aid will be improved. The subject was discussed at the Ministry of Justice with representatives of the National Council for State Guaranteed Legal Aid, IPN reports.

Secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice Veronica Mihailov-Moraru said that a number of steps were taken to strengthen this area so that persons who really need state guaranteed legal aid and cannot afford to hire a lawyer benefit from this.

The sides agreed to create a working group consisting of representatives of the Lawyers Union of Moldova, the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Superior Council of Prosecutors and other interested institutions for reviewing the criteria for providing free legal aid and the reasons for refusal and also the mechanism for recovering the costs associated with state guaranteed legal aid.

Public defenders provide services to persons involved in a trial or who were arrested, to child victims of offenses and to adult victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse.

The beneficiaries can choose a lawyer from among active public defenders whose list is available on the website of the National Council for State Guaranteed Legal Aid (cnajgs.md) and on the information boards of its local offices. But a lawyer is ultimately assigned by the coordinator, taking into account the specialization, availability and workload of the defender.