Public prosecutor v public defender
In a policy shift, the Government is setting up a Public Defender' s Office to provide legal aid to needy Singaporeans who are facing criminal charges but cannot afford to hire their own lawyers. Insight examines the rationale of the move amid the legal brain drain and explores how possible abuses can be prevented.
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As a young private lawyer assigned by the state to defend the teenager hired by Anthony Ler in 2001 to kill his wife, Mr Peter Ong was met with hostility from the boy's mother.
She later apologised for being unfriendly and told Mr Ong that she thought he was a "spy" assigned to go against her son, until she saw that the lawyer was genuinely helping the boy.
