No defence lawyers for most Vietnam trials
HANOI - Fewer than a third of criminal and civil legal
cases in communist-ruled Vietnam are conducted with defence
lawyers present, official media quoted a Justice Ministry official as saying.
Ta Thi Minh Ly, head of the Justice Ministry's Department of legal assistance, told a
national meeting on legal assistance training there was shortage of defence lawyers,
people had little trust in them and most people could not afford their services.
Wednesday's Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper quoted Ly as saying there were
1,700 active lawyers for 61 provincial and 500 district-level People's Courts and only 30
percent of criminal and civil cases were conducted with defence lawyers present.
She said that under a Legal Assistance Ordinance proposed for issue next year, public
lawyers would be made available to represent the poor and those on state benefits.
The lawyers would receive a state salary and not collect fees for their services, she said.
While Vietnam does have a free legal consultancy service for the poor, it currently has no
legal aid system for those who cannot afford representation.
Reuters - December 27, 2001.
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