How to get your bail money back.

HOW TO GET YOUR BAIL MONEY BACK

One of the classic injustices that occurs is that after you are arrested on some trumped up charge you will may have to post bail in the form of a CASH security.

Often this is CASH deposited with the court at the time of release on recognizance.

Then you apply for legal aid. Legal aid are in some cases thinking you are guilty before you even get the trial and may unfairly make you sign a form that means you will not get your bail money bac.

This form will allow legal aid to keep the bail money when the case is finally dealt with.

There are two ways to solve this problem.

WHEN you are released make sure that the person LENDING you the bail money or POSTING BAIL is named as such and that when the case is over this will ensure that the money will be rightfully returned to the person who provided it and not retained by Legal Aid.

An application needs to be made to the court and normally a check arrives in the mail at a later date.

If Legal aid have "kept" the bail money and the money was loaned to you or sent to you etc, you will need to make an application to LEGAL AID COLLECTIONS in Toronto.

These people act very quickly to return such moneys.

You will need most likely to be prepared to send them a copy of your last welfare cheque so that they dont think you are making heaps of bucks and have used them as a free legal service. They dont like that.

You will need to send them a letter with your request outlining your circumstances and your grounds.

LEGAL AID COLLECTIONS 1 800 668 8258

You can FAX your letter to 416 979 8869 and mark it to the attention of the COLLECTION MANAGER.

OR you can mail it to:

Collections Manager

LEGAL AID ONTARIO

Suite 304

375 UNIVERSITY AVENUE

TORONTO, ONT M5G 2G1