A defendant has the right to have counsel at a preliminary hearing and to have free counsel if the defendant cannot afford to hire an attorney. Why is the presence of counsel at a preliminary hearing believed to be so important

The preliminary hearing is the stage of the criminal judicial process in which the Prosecutor will determine whether or not there are sufficient elements of evidence to incriminate the accused of a certain crime, imputing and prosecuting him.

Thus, within the evidence that is assessed in this hearing is the defendant's own statement, who will be questioned by judicial officials. Therefore, it is imperative that the defendant have a lawyer who previously advises him on what are the best strategies to face his defense, preventing the defendant from making mistakes that could put him at a disadvantage in the face of the charge.