Legal Eagles Land in Korovou
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama urged the people of Tailevu North to make good use of the Legal Aid Commission office he opened yesterday at Korovou.
He said the commission’s newest office in Korovou was another milestone development delivered by his Government in its mission to bring judicial services to the doorsteps of every Fijian, everywhere in Fiji.
“I will be in Tavua (yesterday at 2pm) where I will open another Legal Aid Office to serve even more Fijians in our Western Division,’’ Mr Bainimarama said.
“And, with the two openings today, there will now be 11 branches of the Legal Aid Commission serving Fijians on Viti Levu, up from only two in 2007.”
He said the new office had a team of professional staff who would be available to provide individuals with an annual income below $15,000 with free counsel on a range of legal matters, including legal services in the areas of family, criminal and civil law. Government, he said, was flexible with that income threshold to those of those who might be in circumstances beyond their control.
“If you have additional family members, like cousins or aunties, who depend on you, or you are in some sort of financial bind, my Government will work to cater to your needs,” the prime minister said.
The staff can also provide advice free-of-charge to anyone, assisting with witnessing documents such as birth certificates, academic transcripts and so on.
This extends to dealing with landlord and tenant-related issues, drafting wills and helping with probate matters.
He said the doors of this office were open to every Fijian, and the staff within were ready and willing to serve all of them to the best of their ability.
Legal Aid Commission (LAC) Acting Director Shahin Ali said part of its goals as an institution was ensuring that all Fijians were provided with equal legal representation.