Attorney-General (Fiji)

Attorney-General (Fiji)

Fiji's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General. According to the Constitution of Fiji, the Attorney-General is required to be a qualified lawyer and sits in the Cabinet. The office of the Attorney-General is the oldest surviving executive office in Fiji, having been established in the Kingdom of Viti in 1872. It continued throughout Fiji's years as a British crown colony (1874 - 1970) and subsequently as a Commonwealth realm (1970 - 1987) and republic (1987 - present), with minimal modifications.

The Attorney-General is the only Cabinet office, apart from that of the Prime Minister, specifically established by the Constitution. The Attorney-General must be a member of either the House of Representatives or the Senate. A unique feature of the office is that except for voting rights (which may be exercised only in the chamber of which the Attorney-General is officially a member), the Attorney-General has the authority to participate in the business of both chambers of Parliament. The office is normally held in personal union with that of the Minister for Justice, although they are distinct offices. Like other members of the Cabinet, the Attorney-General is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Attorney-General's office

The office of the Attorney-General is responsible for all legal needs of government departments, statutory bodies, and state-owned enterprises. The office has three offices in Suva, Lautoka, and Labasa respectively. Government legal work in the country's Central and Eastern Divisions is undertaken by the central office in Suva, headed by the Solicitor-General, while the Lautoka office (headed by the Principal Legal Officer) is responsible for the Western Division. The Northern Division is covered by the Labasa office.

Additional functions in January 2008

The current Attorney General is Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. In January 2008, he sparked controversy by accepting other government positions in addition to his role as Attorney General; Sayed-Khaiyum is currently responsible also for "Public Enterprise, Electoral Reform and Anti-Corruption". An article in the "Fiji Times" pointed out that "never before in the history of this nation has the Attorney-General held a portfolio dealing with matters other than the law and the judiciary", and criticised the decision [ [http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?item=leader "Role of the Attorney-General"] , "Fiji Times", 6 January, 2008] .

List of Attorneys-General of Fiji

Note that some Attorneys-General have held office in multiple consecutive administrations, particularly in the colonial era.

Kingdom of Viti (1871 - 1874)

Republic (1987 - present)

References

External links

* [http://www.ag.gov.fj/ Website of the Office of the Attorney General of Fiji]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Attorney general — In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public… …   Wikipedia

  • Attorney General — In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General, or Attorney General, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public… …   Wikipedia

  • Solicitor-General (Fiji) — The Solicitor General of Fiji is the Chief Executive Officer of the Attorney General s Chambers, and as such assists the Attorney General in advising the government on legal matters, and in performing legal work for the government. The present… …   Wikipedia

  • Fiji–United States relations — Fiji United States relations are bilateral relations between Fiji and the United States. Relations are currently poor, due to the United States opposition to Fiji s unelected government, which came to power through a military coup in December… …   Wikipedia

  • Fiji — For other uses, see Fiji (disambiguation). Republic of Fiji Matanitu ko Viti  (Fijian) Fijī Ganarājya फ़िजी गणराज्य   (Fiji Hindi) …   Wikipedia

  • Fiji Law Society — The Fiji Law Society is the official body that registers and regulates the activity of all lawyers in Fiji. Devanesh Sharma was elected to replace Graeme Leung as President of the Fiji Law Society on 9 September 2006, and as such he holds… …   Wikipedia

  • Fiji Law Reform Commission — The Fiji Law Reform Commission is independent publicly funded commission, which helps develop and review legislation in Fiji. The Fiji Law Reform Commission Act established the Commission in 1979, to serve as an advisory body to the government… …   Wikipedia

  • Politics of Fiji — takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Fiji is the head of government, and of a multi party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Fiji-related articles — NOTOC Articles (arranged alphabetically) about people, places, things, and concepts related to or originating from Fiji, include: 0 9 2007 Colonial Cup A Rodney ACRAMAN Adi Adi Da James AH KOY Air Fiji Air Pacific Air Pacific destinations Ahmed… …   Wikipedia

  • Military opposition to the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill (Fiji) — Fiji This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Fiji Government …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”