As of June 2020, since the appointment of an ex officio lawyer can be requested online, by filling in a form and signing it electronically, over 80% of applications have been submitted online, primarily by judges. The system was developed by the National Legal Aid Council (NLAC), with the support of UNDP and Sweden, IPN reports.
Sergiu Chiruţa, coordinator of the Chisinau Territorial Office of NLAC, noted that the new system has cut by half the time allocated by NLAC consultants for reviewing applications. The automation of these processes allows state-guaranteed legal aid providers to give more time to prepare the cases and to ensure that our beneficiaries enjoy high quality services.
In the Republic of Moldova, state-guaranteed legal aid is provided annually to over 60,000 women and men. Persons who are part of criminal, civil, administrative, or judicial review proceedings, but who do not have sufficient means to pay for such a service, or who have been detained as part of a criminal trial or administrative proceedings may benefit from the services of a lawyer paid by the state. State-guaranteed legal aid is also provided to children who are victims of crime, but also to adult victims of domestic violence or sexual offenses.
Free legal aid (primary or qualified) may be obtained by contacting a paralegal in the area where the person lives or by requesting aid from one of the four Territorial Offices of the National Legal aid Council. As from June, this type of assistance can also be requested online, using the electronic signature, says a press release of UNDP.
Now, an applicant for state-guaranteed legal aid should just fill out an application under the "Forms" section on www.cnajgs.md. In just a few minutes, the form is being examined by an operator of the National Legal Aid Council. Shortly thereafter, the applicant is informed, by email, which lawyer has been appointed to take over the case.
