The Legal Aid Commission has warned that persons who deliberately present false information to the Commission to seek its assistance can be fined or made to serve a two-year jail term.

Affirming a provision read by the host of The Law, Samson Anyenini on Sunday, a staff of the Commission, Saani Mahmoud Abdul Rasheed, stated that his outfit can even help people with a means of livelihood, hence there is no need for citizens to tell lies to seek assistance.

“If you’re truthful, chances are that you can still get the aid even though you don’t qualify [and] you don’t fall below the minimum wage. There are practical situations where we’ve had persons who have actually told you that, I actually have property, I’m no indigent.

So under the circumstance, people like that, if some investigations are done and we find out that indeed, these are persons who actually need the services at that time because they’re in a situation where they cannot afford the services of lawyers, then that exemption can be done”, he clarified.

“If you fail to be truthful to the Commission and they find that you actually came and lied to us, then you’ll be refused legal aid”, he added.

The Commission also added that its services are exclusively designed for the poor in society.

According to the Commission, it offers assistance to people who have breached the law but lack the financial muscles to engage the services of a lawyer.

Saani Mahmoud Abdul-Rasheed further emphasized that based on the legal provision that gave birth to the Commission, its immediate focus is helping the poor seek justice.

“Legal is available to persons who are in conflict with the law and they don’t have the necessary means to hire the services of lawyers. Poor people; people who cannot for some reason pay for legal services”, he clarified to host Samson Lardy Anyenini.

Throwing more light on the subject of legal aid in Ghana, Mr Abdul-Rasheed stated that, even though the Commission exists to serve the interest of the poor and vulnerable in society, it has mechanisms for assessing the financial status of people who apply for aid.

This he noted is due to some unscrupulous citizens who pretend to be poor in order to access legal aid.

The issue of legal aid remains one of the widely discussed issues in Ghana, with many stakeholders calling on the Commission to roll out measures to make its services more accessible to the general public, especially those in rural and urban communities.

Touching on this concern, the Commission said it exists for all persons.

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