Ukraine henceforth to have free legal advice centers. PM attends the opening of the first center in Kyiv
On Wednesday, July 1, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk took part
in the opening ceremony of the first Kyiv local center of free secondary legal
aid.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk has informed that from today one hundred centers of free
legal aid will operate across Ukraine. They will provide the legal services,
particularly for low income citizens, orphans and their trustees, ATO
participants, families of fallen soldiers and veterans.
The Prime Minister says that the Cabinet has allocated about UAH300 million
on this project.
According to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, till today these centers provided legal
assistance just in criminal cases, and from now the
relevant categories of people will be able to receive the legal services and
lawyer service in civil and administrative cases as well.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the project: "People
should have the right to defense, and this right should be guaranteed by the
state. The state actually finances lawyers who will plead including with the
authorities - the central or local authorities, state bodies."
Arseniy Yatsenyuk has stressed that such centers will help people "who need
justice in the Ukrainian courts, in their struggle against lawlessness, for the
rights and justice that today should be the basic idea of a new Ukrainian
society."
"A person should know that these guarantees are not just words on
paper, but they are accepted - through legal aid, when professional advocates
and lawyers will help a low-income person who previously did not have actual
access to justice, protect his/her rights either in court, or in any other
public bodies."
Arseniy Yatsenyuk has appreciated the Government of Canada, which joined
the program. Under a four-year project "Affordable and high quality legal
assistance in Ukraine", the Canadian government allocated 9 million
Canadian dollars "as additional help to make the free legal aid program
operate."
The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Justice of Ukraine Pavlo
Petrenko and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine
Roman Vashchuk.
The PM has congratulated Roman Vashchuk on Canada
Day, which is celebrated today.
Background information
There will be 3 to 7 centers providing free legal assistance in every
region. More than 5,000 lawyers, selected in open competitions, will provide
advice service and defend civil and administrative cases in courts, including
against the state.
Centers will provide services of free legal aid to 8 million Ukrainians.