Bill granting president authority over AG office structure ratified

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday ratified an amendment to the Attorney General Act requiring the President’s approval for the staffing structure of the Attorney General’s (AG) Office before it comes into effect.

Parliament passed the bill on Tuesday.

The amendment also separates the AG’s Office from the civil service, establishing it as a distinct service. This change follows longstanding concerns that the office’s inclusion within the civil service has made it difficult to recruit lawyers and other specialised staff, as well as to implement salary revisions.

The original bill to separate the AG’s Office from the civil service was passed in May last year, and President Muizzu ratified it shortly after the proposal to amend the law was made.

Key amendments in the new bill include:

Previously, the AG’s Office was not recognised in law as exercising the powers of the President’s ministries. The law had only outlined the AG’s role in formulating the structure of the office’s positions, without presidential involvement.

Under the previous provisions, the staff structure must be finalised within 60 days of the law’s entry into force. The law itself is to take effect within 90 days of its adoption and publication in the Government Gazette, setting 26 September as the deadline for completing the framework.

In a statement, the AG’s Office said further amendments would be required on the day the bill becomes law, noting that one reason for the change was to establish a role for the President’s Office in approving the office’s staffing framework.