A bill seeking to restructure the Attorney General’s Office as a separate government office outside the civil service has been sent back to the Parliament’s Judiciary Committee without being approved.
The bill was introduced by Maafannu South MP Abdullah Rifau on behalf of the government. The purpose of the bill is to determine the qualifications required of a person appointed to the post of Attorney General under the Constitution, the responsibilities of the Attorney General and the rules to be followed by the Attorney General in discharging those responsibilities. The bill also seeks to establish a separate government office in the name of the Attorney General’s Office which does not fall under the civil service, to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to the Attorney General.
During Wednesday’s vote, 67 members opposed the bill, with only MP Mohamed Shahid from the ruling People’s National Congress voting in favor of the bill. A total of 70 MPs then voted to refer the bill back to the committee for further revision.
The bill has been introduced in Parliament while the Foreign Ministry has been separated from the civil service and defined as a separate service in the name of the Foreign Service under a recent legislative change.
