The Parliament of Georgia continues to discuss annual report of Legal Aid Service. On March 17, the second hearing was held at the Legal Issues Committee. The session was attended by the members of Legal Aid Council and the representatives of different NGOs. A week before, the report was heard by the Civic Integration and Human Rights Protection Committee.
(See: 1. Presentation of the Report / 2. Full version of the Report)
The LAS director, Meliton Benidze summed up activities of the past year and informed MPs about rendered legal aid, as well as institutional reforms carried out inside the Service. The focus was made on the legislative amendments on the bases of which Legal Aid Service became an independent organization in 2014. Besides, according to the legislative changes, from April 15, 2015, besides criminal cases, free advocacy service will cover certain categories of civil and administrative cases.
In the framework of the parliamentary discussion, besides two hearings, the director of the Service will present the report at the plenary session of the Parliament. According to the Law, after introduction with the report on activities of the Service, the Parliament will approve it by passing the resolution or will address the Service with request to fill in existing gaps.
Legal Aid Service operates since 2007. In 2014, status of the Service changed. It left the system of the executive power, formed as an independent legal entity of public law and became accountable before the Parliament of Georgia.