Legal aid is a cornerstone of the Scottish justice system. It makes sure that the right to a legal defence in court is available to all, not just the wealthy and powerful.
That’s why it is so important that this system is fair and isn’t open to abuse by wealthy criminals looking to save a few quid on their legal costs.
However, we report today how four NHS fraudsters managed to get more than £500,000 from the public purse to defend themselves in court.
These men, already rich thanks to their IT careers, made off with more than £6million of taxpayers’ cash which was meant to fund the NHS. How did they manage to get their hands on more taxpayers’ cash to fund their defence?
Unbelievably, they continued to get legal aid funding when they appealed and got considerable time knocked off their jail sentences.
This comes weeks after it was revealed Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, Peter Murrell, also received taxpayer-funded legal aid in his case – where he pled guilty to nicking £400,000 from his own party.
When times are hard and frontline services in Scotland are starved of cash, it seems incredible that vast sums are being handed out to wealthy criminals.
And Labour’s Jackie Baillie is right to call the public funding of the NHS fraudsters’ legal defence as a “shocking waste of public funds”.
It’s time for greater scrutiny to be carried out when it comes to dishing out of legal aid. Those who genuinely need it to allow them the financial means to a legal defence should always receive it.
But those who have already got a fortune in the bank should pay their own way.
Andy Burnham will visit the King today to take up the job of Prime Minister. He will hold this great office at a time of domestic and international upheaval, with wars ongoing and a cost-of-living crisis still biting.
View 2 ImagesAndy Burnham(Image: Getty Images)
He will also be the seventh PM in a decade – a remarkable fact linked to the chaos brought about by Brexit. The Record hopes Burnham succeeds where Keir Starmer failed.
The country is desperate for a Labour Government to put forward a positive vision of change. More importantly, he needs to quickly deliver policies that make voters feel better off.
Burnham has more goodwill on his side and is a better politician than Starmer. His allies expect him to roll out a series of feelgood announcements designed to help people pay their bills.
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But time is of the essence and voters are increasingly impatient for change. Burnham needs a good start to change the dial and see off the threat of the right.