BRATISLAVA, September 30, (WEBNOVINY) — Over the past four years, the debt of the Justice Ministry to ex offo lawyers, legal experts, and interpreters working for courts climbed to EUR 16 million, Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska told journalists on Thursday.
The new government, which came out of the elections in June has pledged the repay the debt. The minister said that as of Thursday the first money has been sent to courts. She specified that the money is exclusively destined for settlement of courts‘ debts The oldest debts should be repaid as first. According to the Slovak Bar Association, some of them originated eight years ago. The association has already suggested to the department a change of the system of reward for ex offo services, but the Justice Ministry under the previous management remained inactive and failed to ask for more money from state coffers to settle the obligations to lawyers for their ex offo legal defense services.
SITA