Pro-bono lawyers marching to the Ministry of Justice in 2017.
PHILIPSBURG--Pro-bono lawyers have been on strike since Friday, May 18, due to non-payment to the lawyers of fees due to them. Pro-bono lawyers give criminal suspects who cannot afford a lawyer free-of-charge legal assistance during the handling of their cases. The bill is paid by Government.
The outstanding fees date back to January and the Ministry of Justice has not been responding to the lawyers’ requests for settlement. Chairman of the Section of Criminal Lawyers in St. Maarten Cor Merx informed The Daily Herald on Sunday that all criminal lawyers have been on strike since Friday. He also said that lawyers who are not directly working with government sympathise with their colleagues’ action.
“Enough is enough. The Court and the Judges have been informed and the Chief Prosecutor was also informed,” said Merx.
The strike will have an immediate effect on the handling of criminal cases at the Court of First Instance.
Pro-bono lawyers held a similar action last year. They marched to the new Government Administration Building to persuade Government to pay out what they were due.
The lawyers believe the strike will go on until government pays the bills.
