More than 26,000 people formally applied for Legal Aid assistance last year

More than 26,000 people formally applied for Legal Aid assistance last year which was an increase of sixteen percent compared to 2017.

The Acting Director of the Legal Aid Commission Shahin Ali says while the majority of them qualified for and were granted assistance, a small number did not qualify based on the requirements.

He says the number of people asking for advice on civil matters has also increased and last year it was 51 percent of the total applications.

Ali also highlighted that the number of people who they assist formally through legal representation, criminal law matters still outnumber family and civil matters.

Ali says that advisory services have increased by 20 percent compared to 2017 and duty solicitor services have also increased drastically.