Legal Aid Board defends itself

2003-06-16 15:48

Johannesburg - The Legal Aid Board has done everything in its power to accommodate the alleged Boeremag members who allegedly plotted to overthrow the government, the board said on Monday.

"....despite its frustrations, it has done everything in its powers to accommodate the needs of the accused in terms of its legislative mandate," the board said in a statement.

"The trial has been delayed three times as various representatives of the accused have rejected the assistance offered to their clients by the Legal Aid Board."

Spokesperson Kathy Magrobi said the board had provided clarity where it was requested and it has explained in detail its budget restrictions and the confines of its constitutional mandate.

"We believe that justice will be best served by the trialists accepting our offers of legal aid."

Magrobi said the board was aware of its responsibility to defend the legal rights of poor and vulnerable South Africans, but the reality was that there was a sizeable gap between demands of its services and available resources.

She said the board would not compromise on the quality of the service it offered.

"That is why we have gone to such extraordinary lengths to be accommodating in this high-profile matter and that is why we respect the confines of our tariffs in order to ensure we serve as many people as possible, as well as possible.

"We have done everything we can to be accommodating in this case and any delays have not been of the Legal Aid Board's making."

The Legal Aid Board was responding to accusations of incompetence and unreasonableness levelled at it a week ago in the Pretoria High Court.

Lawyers for the 22 alleged Boeremag members charged the board with making ill-informed decisions, committing factual errors and negotiating in bad faith.

The trial will resume on Tuesday with further talks to iron out problems regarding legal representation for some of the accused.

- SAPA