By Wezzie Gausi:
Justice delivery for resource constrained people is under threat as the Legal Aid Bureau, which offers free legal services, faces potential disruption to its services because the government is failing to provide adequate funds.
The bureau’s director Trouble Kalua told members of the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament, when he appeared before them in Lilongwe on Wednesday, that the institution has been forced to ask magistrates and judges to adjourn cases as lawyers are unable to travel to court.
He said the bureau asked for K345 million for its offices but received only K53 million from the Accountant General, leaving it with a deficit of K292 million since April 1 2024.
“Our service providers are withdrawing due to non-payment. The Blantyre office, responsible for four district offices, hasn’t received any payment in four months despite being allocated funds on paper,” Kalua said.
Kalua detailed the funding shortfalls in Blantyre as follows:
April 2024: Funded K24 million, received 0 Kwacha
May 2024: Funded K6 million, received 0 Kwacha
June 2024: Funded K9 million, received 0 Kwacha
July 2024: Funded K9 million, received 0 Kwacha
He said similar issues plague other offices.
For instance, he said, the Zomba office requested for K57 million and received nothing.
As for the Mzuzu office, it requested for K59 million, with the same result.
He added that outstanding payments from previous financial years total K15.6 million, further compounding the problem.
On his part, Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs Chairperson Peter Dimba described the development as unfortunate and promised to engage the ministers of Finance and Justice for intervention.
“This is a sad development. We will work with relevant ministries to find a solution to this,” Dimba said.
Responding to the issue, Malawi Law Society President Patrick Mpaka emphasised the bureau’s entitlement to adequate funding as a critical service for the less privileged people.
“Authorities must demonstrate commitment to the rule of law by funding the Legal Aid Bureau properly,” Mpaka said.
Meanwhile, Accountant General Henry Mphasa has said the government has been providing resources to the bureau, adding that the payment system showed that K5.9 million was being processed for the bureau as of Wednesday this week.
0 Comments