Official or public defenders protect the defendant
Public defense, also known as public defender’s office, is an important part of the criminal justice system that ensures that every defendant receives an adequate defense in criminal court, even if they do not appoint a defense attorney themselves.
Court can appoint public defender
In all cases of necessary defense in which the accused or defendant, despite being requested to do so by the court, does not appoint a defense lawyer of their choice, even though they are not entitled to a legal aid lawyer due to the existence of sufficient assets, the court will appoint an official defense lawyer for them. However, the accused or defendant must always bear the costs of the public defender themselves.
What do I have to pay attention to if I need an official defense in the proceedings? The Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates the following conditions for an official defense:
the trial takes place before the regional court of first instance as a jury or lay assessor’s court
pre-trial detention or criminal detention has already been imposed on the accused
an appeal has been lodged against the verdict of a jury or lay assessor’s court;
there is a risk that the accused will be placed in an institution for mentally disturbed offenders
if a hearing of an application for renewal of the criminal proceedings takes place
