The Legal Aid Commission has stated that its services are exclusively designed for the poor in society.

According to the Commission, it offers assistance to people who have breached the law but lack the financial muscles to engage the services of a lawyer.

Speaking in an interview on The Law on Sunday, a staff of the Commission, Saani Mahmoud Abdul-Rasheed, emphasized that based on the legal provision that gave birth to the Commission, its immediate focus is helping the poor seek justice.

"Legal is available to persons who are in conflict with the law and they don't have the necessary means to hire the services of lawyers. Poor people; people who cannot for some reason pay for legal services", he clarified to host Samson Lardy Anyenini.

Throwing more light on the subject of legal aid in Ghana, Mr Abdul-Rasheed stated that, even though the Commission exists to serve the interest of the poor and vulnerable in society, it has mechanisms for assessing the financial status of people who apply for aid.

This he noted is due to some unscrupulous citizens who pretend to be poor in order to access legal aid.

The issue of legal aid remains of the widely discussed issues in Ghana, with many stakeholders calling on the Commission to roll out measures to make its services more accessible to the general public, especially those in rural and urban communities.

Touching on this concern, the Commission said it exists for all persons.

The Commission, however, warned that persons who misrepresent their status to secure legal aid may be liable to a jail term of two years if they are found out.

Saani Mahmoud Abdul-Rasheed said the Commission can help all manner of persons, hence there is no need for citizens to misrepresent their status.

"If you're truthful, chances are that you can still get the aid even though you don't qualify [and] you don't fall below the minimum wage. There are practical situations where we've had persons who have actually told you that, I actually have property, I'm no indigent.

So under the circumstance, people like that, if some investigations are done and we find out that indeed these are persons who actually need the services at that time because they're in a situation where they cannot afford the services of lawyers, then that exemption can be done", he clarified.

"If you fail to be truthful to the Commission and they find that you actually came and lied to us, then you'll be refused legal aid", he added.