Phnom Penh (FN), Sep. 5 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet presented nine viewpoints and recommendations to lawyers in Cambodia to help improve the rule of law and enhance the quality and efficiency of the justice and law enforcement systems. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 lawyers who are members of the Bar Association.
The premier spoke on Thursday (Sep. 5) during a certificate presentation ceremony for nearly 2,000 law students and trainees at OCIC in Phnom Penh.
To further strengthen and enhance the quality and efficiency of the judiciary, the views and recommendations were provided as follows:
1. With the continuous improvement in the quality and legal services, the Bar Association shall continue to focus on training and capacity building of lawyers, both hard and soft skills on a regular basis to strengthen adherence to the law, professional code and ethics for lawyers of the Bar Association of Cambodia.
2. The Lawyer Training Centre shall continue to recruit highly qualified trainers in both hard and soft skills and consistently update subjects and modernise teaching methodologies to align with the evolving society, economy, and technology.
3. The Bar Association shall continue to implement its policies and mission in collaboration with the Royal Government in providing legal and consultation services to the poor, the vulnerable, women, and children. Additionally, the Bar Association shall expand the dissemination activities of laws to the public and promote the principles of the Rule of Law, aiming to contribute to social justice, combat societal injustices, and strengthen public trust in the justice system.
4. Samdech Thipadei encourages the Ministry of Justice to collaborate with the Bar Association to amend the Law on the Statute of Lawyers as this law, in force for nearly 30 years, should be updated to meet the social, economic, and technological advancements, and best practices such as legal professional administration and dissemination and the Bar Council's presidential election process.
5. Individual lawyers must continue to uphold social justice, particularly by providing legal defence to the poor free of charge and with the same compassion as they would for their own family members.
6. As lawyers contributing to the strengthening of the rule of law and law enforcement, all lawyers must abide by the law, adhere to their professional code of ethics, and avoid any arrogant behaviour or misconduct. In this regard, should any lawyer commit illegal or immoral acts, the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia must take strict measures in accordance with the procedures in force.
7. Samdech Thipadei encourages the lawyers of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia to continue collaborating with the Royal Government of Cambodia through social activities and by promoting and strengthening the rule of law in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
8. The secretariat of the Tribunal, the clerk, the prosecutor, and the judges shall facilitate the work of lawyers who perform their duties in accordance with the law, especially in cases involving the poor.
9. Samdech Thipadei advises all judicial police units to facilitate and cooperate with lawyers accompanying their clients during the preliminary inquiry phase conducted by judicial police officers.
=FRESH NEWS
