Attorney-General of Fiji facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Attorney-General of Fiji |
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Coat of arms of
the Republic of Fiji |
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Incumbent
Graham Leung since 5 June 2024 |
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| Style | The Honourable |
| Reports to | Prime Minister of Fiji |
| Appointer | President of Fiji |
| Formation | 1872 |
| First holder | Robert Wilson Hamilton |
The Attorney-General is a very important political and legal job in Fiji. This person is the main law officer for the country. They are in charge of making sure Fiji's laws are followed. They also give legal advice to the government.
Just like other members of the Fiji Cabinet, the Attorney-General is chosen by the President. This choice is made based on advice from the Prime Minister.
To be the Attorney-General, a person must be a registered lawyer in Fiji. They also need at least fifteen years of experience working as a lawyer. This experience can be from Fiji or other countries. The Attorney-General is part of the Cabinet of Fiji. Usually, they are also a Member of Parliament. However, the Prime Minister can pick someone from outside Parliament if there isn't a qualified Member of Parliament who supports the government. If the Attorney-General is not a Member of Parliament, they can still attend Parliament meetings. But they cannot vote on new laws or decisions.
The job of Attorney-General is the oldest government role in Fiji that still exists today. It was first created in the Kingdom of Fiji in 1872. This role continued when Fiji was a British crown colony (from 1874 to 1970). It also continued when Fiji became the Dominion of Fiji (1970–1987) and then a republic (1987–present). The job has changed very little over time.
Contents
What Does the Attorney-General Do?
The main job of the Attorney-General is to give important legal help to the Government. This includes many different tasks:
- Writing New Laws: They help write new laws for the country.
- Legal Help: They provide legal aid and advice to people who need it.
- Advising the President: They advise the President on special cases, like when someone asks for a pardon.
- Licensing: They are involved in giving out licenses for things like selling alcohol.
- Film Rules: They help with rules about what can be shown in movies.
So, the Attorney-General is responsible for all the legal needs of government departments. This also includes other official groups and businesses owned by the state.
The Attorney-General's office has three main locations. These are in Suva, Lautoka, and Labasa. The central office in Suva handles legal work for the Central and Eastern parts of Fiji. This office is led by the Solicitor-General. The Lautoka office covers the Western Division. It is led by the Principal Legal Officer. The Labasa office takes care of the Northern Division.
Who Has Been Attorney-General?
Many people have held the important job of Attorney-General in Fiji's history. Some people held the job for several governments in a row, especially when Fiji was a British colony.
Kingdom of Viti (1871–1874)
This is a list of the Attorneys-General during the time Fiji was a Kingdom.
| No. | Name | Term of office | Appointed by (King): |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Wilson Hamilton | 1872 | Seru Epenisa Cakobau |
| 2 | Charles Rossiter Forwood | 1872–1873 | |
| 3 | Sydney Charles Burt | 1873–1874 |
Crown colony (1874–1970)
This list shows the Attorneys-General when Fiji was a British Crown Colony.
| No. | Name | Term of office | Appointed by (Governor): |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | James Herman De Ricci | 1875–1876 | Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon |
| 5 | Joseph Hector Garrick | 1876–1882 | Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon |
| 6 | Fielding Clarke | 1882–1886 | Sir William Des Vœux |
| 7 | Henry Spencer Berkeley | 1886–1889 | |
| 8 | John Symonds Udal | 1889–1899 | Sir John Bates Thurston |
| 9 | Henry Edward Pollock | 1901–1903 | William Lamond Allardyce |
| 10 | Albert Ehrhardt | 1903–1914 | Sir Henry Moore Jackson |
| 11 | Alfred Karney Young | 1914–1922 | Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott |
| 12 | Sir Kenneth MacKenzie | 1922–1927 | Sir Cecil Hunter Rodwell |
| 13 | Percy Alexander McElwaine | 1927–1931 | Sir Eyre Hutson |
| 14 | Charles Gough Howell | 1931–1933 | Sir Arthur George Murchison Fletcher |
| 15 | Ransley Samuel Thacker | 1933–1938 | |
| 16 | Edward Enoch Jenkins | 1938–1945 | Sir Arthur Frederick Richards |
| 17 | John Henry Vaughan | 1945–1949 | Sir Alexander Grantham |
| 18 | Brian Andre Doyle | 1949–1956 | Sir Brian Freeston |
| 19 | Ashley Martin Greenwood | 1956–1963 | Sir Ronald Herbert Garvey |
| 20 | Henry Roger Justin Lewis | 1963–1970 | Sir Kenneth Phipson Maddocks |
Dominion (1970–1987)
Here are the Attorneys-General during Fiji's time as a Dominion.
| No. | Name | Term of office | Served under: [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor-General | Prime Minister | |||
| 21 | John Neil Falvey | 1970–1977 | Ratu Sir George Cakobau | Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |
| 22 | Sir Vijay R. Singh | 1977–1979 | ||
| 23 | Andrew Indar Narayan Deoki | 1979–1981 | ||
| 24 | Manikam Pillai | 1981–1984 | ||
| Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau | ||||
| 25 | Qoriniasi Babitu Bale | 1984–1987 | ||
| 26 | Jai Ram Reddy | 1987 | Timoci Bavadra | |
| 27 | Alipate Qetaki | 1987 | vacant | |
| [1] During this time, the Attorney-General was officially chosen by the Governor-General. But this was always done based on the Prime Minister's advice. | ||||
Republic (1987–present)
This section lists the Attorneys-General since Fiji became a Republic.
| No. | Name | Term of office | Served under: [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Prime Minister | |||
| 28 | Sailosi Kepa | 1987–1992 | Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau | Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |
| 29 | Apaitia Seru | 1992 | Major general (Rtd) Sitiveni Rabuka | |
| 30 | Kelemedi Bulewa | 1992–1996 | ||
| Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara | ||||
| 31 | Etuate Tavai | 1996–1999 | ||
| 32 | Anand K. Singh | 1999–2000 | Mahendra Chaudhry | |
| Ratu Tevita Momoedonu | ||||
| (27) | Alipate Qetaki | 2000–2001 | Ratu Josefa Iloilo | Laisenia Qarase |
| Ratu Tevita Momoedonu | ||||
| Laisenia Qarase | ||||
| (25) | Qoriniasi Babitu Bale | 2001–2006 | Laisenia Qarase | |
| 33 | Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum | 2007–2014 | Rear admiral (Rtd) Frank Bainimarama | |
| Ratu Epeli Nailatikau | ||||
| 34 | Faiyaz Koya | 2014 | ||
| (33) | Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum | 2014–2022 | ||
| Jioji Konrote | ||||
| Wiliame Katonivere | ||||
| 35 | Siromi Turaga | 2022–2024 | Wiliame Katonivere | Major general (Rtd) Sitiveni Rabuka |
| 36 | Graham Leung | 2024 –present | Wiliame Katonivere | Major general (Rtd) Sitiveni Rabuka |
| [1] In this period, the Attorney-General is officially chosen by the President. But this is always done based on the Prime Minister's advice. | ||||
See also
- Cabinet of Fiji
