The Legal Officers’ Association (LOA) of the Attorney General’s Department has decided to present its official opinion on the government’s proposal to establish a Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), which would independently handle criminal cases outside the Attorney General’s Department.
According to the LOA, the opinion will reflect the views of officers within the AG’s Department regarding the proposal, which seeks to transfer the handling of criminal cases to the proposed DPP. The association plans to gather feedback from officers in the coming week to formulate its own comprehensive proposal on the matter.
An LOA spokesperson noted that since the creation of the DPP is a government policy decision, their goal is to submit their proposal to the committee tasked with developing criteria for the new directorate.
The committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, is currently preparing a concept paper outlining the proposed framework.
The spokesperson further stated that the LOA intends to initiate a broad dialogue within the department to collect the opinions of its staff on the potential implications of establishing the DPP—an institution that could significantly affect the future operations of the Attorney General’s Department, which boasts a history of over 150 years.
The issue was extensively discussed during the LOA Executive Committee meeting held on Friday, the Sunday Times learns. The meeting also addressed matters related to the department’s service conditions and existing resources.
During the discussions, members observed that while Singapore—with a population of 2 million—has 820 officers in its Attorney General’s Department, Sri Lanka, with a population of 22 million, has only 320 officers. Attention was also drawn to the 80 vacant positions currently unfilled within the department.
