Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said a pilot programme of the Indonesian Citizens’ Legal Aid Scheme (I-Clas) will run throughout 2025 with the participation of three legal aid centres in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Perak.

“I-Clas aims to provide Indonesian nationals in Malaysia access to legal aid in criminal, immigration, labour, family, shariah and other areas of law.

“The scheme (also) introduces outreach programmes in an effort to educate the Indonesian community on Malaysian laws and their rights thereunder,” said Ezri in a statement today.

He said the scheme will be supported by an agreement with the embassy that will establish a sustainable funding model, though he did not elaborate on this.

This model would ensure that lawyers serving pro bono under the scheme would not be financially burdened when handling critical cases, particularly those involving criminal and immigration laws.

“By collectively funding the scheme, the Bar enables lawyers to focus on delivering justice without the additional strain of covering operational costs, thereby delivering on its commitment to ensuring justice for all.

“We commend the embassy for stepping up to the call of enhancing access to justice for their citizens in Malaysia,” he said.

He also urged other embassies and diplomatic missions to work with the Bar to ensure their nationals have access to legal representation in Malaysia.