Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General

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 prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

. According to the Constitution of Fiji

Constitution of Fiji

The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....

, the Attorney-General is required to be a qualified lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and sits in the Cabinet

Cabinet (Fiji)

Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...

. 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

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 crown colony

Crown colony

A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....

 (1874–1970) and subsequently as a Commonwealth realm

Commonwealth Realm

A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...

 (1970–1987) and republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

 (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

House of Representatives (Fiji)

The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...

 or the Senate

Senate (Fiji)

The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...

. 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 by 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

Suva

Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...

, Lautoka

Lautoka

Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...

, and Labasa

Labasa

Labasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007.Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers - the...

 respectively. Government legal work in the country's Central

Central Division, Fiji

The Central Division of Fiji is one of Fiji's four divisions. It consists of five provinces - Naitasiri, Namosi, Rewa, Serua and Tailevu.The capital of the division is Suva, which is also the capital of Fiji. The division includes the eastern part of the largest island in Fiji, Viti Levu, with a...

 and Eastern

Eastern Division, Fiji

The Eastern Division of Fiji is one of Fiji's four divisions. It consists of Kadavu Province, Lau Province, Lomaiviti Province and Rotuma.The capital of the division is Levuka, on the Ovalau island...

 Divisions

Local government of Fiji

Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...

 is undertaken by the central office in Suva, headed by the Solicitor-General

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...

, while the Lautoka office (headed by the Principal Legal Officer) is responsible for the Western Division

Western Division, Fiji

The Western Division of Fiji is one of Fiji's four divisions. It consists of the three provinces Ba, Nadroga-Navosa and Ra.The capital of the division is Lautoka. The division includes the western part of the largest island in Fiji, Viti Levu, with a few outlying islands, including the Yasawa...

. The Northern Division

Northern Division, Fiji

The Northern Division is one of four Divisions into which Fiji's fourteen Provinces are grouped for local government purposes. The administrative centre of the Division, where main governmental departments are located, is Labasa....

 is covered by the Labasa office.

Additional functions in January 2008

The current Attorney General is Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Fiji's Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Anti-Corruption, Public Enterprises, Industry, Investment, Tourism and Communications...

. 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

Fiji Times

The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating....

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.

List of Attorneys-General of Fiji

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

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 era.

Kingdom of Viti (1871 - 1874)

Order	Attorney-General	Term of Office	Appointed by:
1.	R.W. Hamilton	1872	King Monarch A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...  Seru Epenisa Cakobau Seru Epenisa Cakobau Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau was a Fijian Ratu and warlord who united part of Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership, establishing a united Fijian kingdom.-Background:...
2.	C.R. Forwood	1872–1873
3.	Sydney Charles Burt	1873–1874

Crown colony (1874 - 1970)

Order	Attorney-General	Term of Office	Appointed by (Governor):
4.	J.H. De Ricci	1875–1876	Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon
5.	Joseph Hector Garrick	1876–1882	Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon
6.	Fielding Clarke Fielding Clarke Sir Fielding Clarke Kt. was a British colonial barrister, civil servant and jurist.-Biography:Fielding Clarke was the fourth son of Henry Booth Clarke and his wife Isabella . He married in 1888 Mary Milward Pierce.Education...	1882–1886	Sir William Des Vœux
7.	Henry Spencer Berkeley	1886–1889
8.	John Symonds Udal John Udal John Symonds Udal was an English-born cricketer who later represented the Fiji national cricket team.-Career:...	1889–1901	Sir John Bates Thurston John Bates Thurston Sir John Bates Thurston was a British colonial official who served Fiji in a variety of capacities, including Premier of the Kingdom of Viti and later as colonial Governor.- Early life :...
9.	Henry Edward Pollock Henry Pollock Sir Henry Edward Pollock, QC, JP was an English barrister who became a prominent politician in Hong Kong. He had acted as Attorney General in Hong Kong for several occasions, and was once appointed the same post in Fiji. He had also served as Senior Unofficial Member of both the Legislative...	1901–1903	William Lamond Allardyce William Lamond Allardyce Sir William Lamond Allardyce KCMG was a career British civil servant in the Colonial Office who served as governor of Fiji , the Falkland Islands , Bahamas , Tasmania , and Newfoundland .Allardyce was born near Bombay, India, the son of Georgina Dickson Abbott and Colonel James Allardyce...
10.	Albert Ehrhardt	1903–1914	Sir Henry Moore Jackson Henry Moore Jackson Sir Henry Moore Jackson R.A. GCMG was born in Grenada to the Anglican Bishop of Antigua and of the Leeward Islands. He received his education in England at Clifton College and the Royal Military Academy. After his education, Jackson went into the military, serving for the Royal Artillery from 1870...
11.	Alfred Karney Young	1914–1922	Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott
12.	James Muir MacKenzie Kenneth Mackenzie Kenneth Mackenzie or Kenneth McKenzie may refer to:*Kenneth Mackenzie , Episcopal bishop in Scotland*Kenneth Mackenzie , Episcopal bishop in Scotland...	1922–1927	Sir Cecil Hunter Rodwell Cecil Hunter Rodwell Born in England, Rodwell attended Cheam School and Eton College and went up to Cambridge in 1892 to study at King's College. Upon the outbreak of the South African War, Rodwell joined the Suffolk Yeomanry and was awarded the Queen's Medal with two clasps for bravery....
13.	Percy Alexander McElwaine Percy McElwaine Sir Percy Alexander McElwaine Kt, LL.D, KC was born on the 21st of September 1884 in Roscommon, Ireland.Educated at Campbell College, Belfast and Trinity College Dublin. Irish bar in 1908, Alberta bar in 1913. First World War temporary lieutenant in the Royal Irish Rifles. Coroner in Kenya. Kings...	1927–1931	Sir Eyre Hutson Eyre Hutson Sir Eyre Hutson KCMG was an English colonial administrator who became Governor of British Honduras and later Governor of Fiji....
14.	Charles Gough Howell Charles Howell Charles Alfred Howell was a British Labour Party politician. He was elected Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr at the 1955 general election, and served until the 1964 general election when the seat was gained against the national trend by the Conservative candidate Wyndham Davies.-...	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 John Henry Vaughan John Henry Vaughan studied Law at Cambridge University and fought in the trenches during the First World War. He married Thelma Green in 1925 and became a keen ornithologist. He is most well known for his work in the British Empire's legal service in Zanzibar and then Fiji, where he was Attorney...	1945–1949	Sir Alexander Grantham Alexander Grantham Sir Alexander William George Herder Grantham, GCMG was a British colonial administrator who governed Hong Kong and Fiji.-Early life, colonial administration career:...
18.	Brian Andre Doyle Brian Doyle Brian Doyle may refer to:*Brian J. Doyle , former press secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security*Brian Doyle , former Major League Baseball infielder*Brian Doyle , Canadian writer...	1949–1956	Sir Leslie Brian Freeston
19.	Ashley Martin Greenwood	1956–1963	Sir Ronald Herbert Garvey Ronald Garvey Sir Ronald Herbert Garvey KCMG KCVO MBE was a colonial administrator.-Career:Garvey joined the colonial service and was appointed Governor of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 1944. He moved on to be Governor of British Honduras in 1949; there he had to contend with a general strike and the need...
20.	Henry Roger Justin Lewis	1963–1970	Sir Kenneth Phipson Maddocks Kenneth Maddocks Sir Kenneth Maddocks was a British colonial official, who served as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Fiji from 1958 until 1963....

Commonwealth realm (1970 - 1987)

Order	Attorney-General	Term of Office	Served under [1]:
			Governor-General	Prime Minister
21.	John Neil Falvey	1970–1977	Ratu Sir George Cakobau George Cakobau Ratu Sir George Kadavulevu Cakobau, GCMG, GCVO, OBE was Governor General of Fiji from 1973 to 1983. A great-grandson of Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the King of Bau who had unified all the tribes of Fiji under his reign in the mid-1800s and subsequently ceded the islands to the United Kingdom in...	Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Kamisese Mara Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...
22.	Sir Vijay R. Singh Vijay R. Singh Sir Vijay Raghubar Singh, KBE was an Indo-Fijian lawyer and politician who held Cabinet office in the 1960s and 1970s. Vijay Singh served in Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's government in a variety of positions, including Attorney-General, and was President of the Indian Alliance, a...	1977–1979
23.	Andrew Indar Narayan Deoki Andrew Deoki Andrew Indar Narayan Deoki was a Fiji Indian statesman who served his community as a social and religious leader, a soccer administrator, a member of the Legislative Council in colonial Fiji, a member of the Senate in independent Fiji and as the Attorney General.- Contribution to Soccer in Fiji...	1979–1981
24.	Manikam V. Pillai	1981–1984
			Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau Penaia Ganilau Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau, GCMG, KCVO, KBE, DSO was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 until his death in 1993...
25.	Qoriniasi Babitu Bale Qoriniasi Bale Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...	1984–1987
26.	Jai Ram Reddy Jai Ram Reddy Jai Ram Reddy is an Indo-Fijian statesman, who has had a distinguished career in both the legislative and judicial branches of the Fijian government...	1987		Timoci Bavadra Timoci Bavadra Timoci Uluivuda Bavadra was a medical doctor who served for one month as the second Prime Minister of Fiji in 1987 and who founded the Fiji Labour Party....
[1] The Attorney-General in this period was formally appointed by the Governor-General, but on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Republic (1987 - present)

Order	Attorney-General	Term of Office	Served under [1]:
			President	Prime Minister
27.	Sailosi Kepa Sailosi Kepa Sailosi Wai Kepa was a Fijian statesman, judge, and diplomat.Born in the village of Nukuni on the island of Ono-I-Lau, was one of many distinguished public figures to hail from the Lau archipelago. He was educated at Draiba Fijian School and Lelean Memorial School, before enrolling in Nasinu...	1987–1992	Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau Penaia Ganilau Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau, GCMG, KCVO, KBE, DSO was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 until his death in 1993...	Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Kamisese Mara Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...
28.	Apaitia Seru	1992
29.	Kelemedi Bulewa	1992–1996		Sitiveni Rabuka Sitiveni Rabuka Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, MSD, OStJ, is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. He was later democratically elected the third Prime Minister, serving from 1992 to 1999...
			Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Kamisese Mara Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...
31.	Anand K. Singh Anand Singh Anand Kumar Singh is a Fijian lawyer and politician of Indian descent. He was born on 8 August 1948 in Bombay, when his family had temporarily moved to India. The family returned from India in 1951 to live at the birthplace of his father, Parmanand Singh, in Yalalevu, Ba...	1999–2000		Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
32.	Alipate Qetaki Alipate Qetaki Alipate Qetaki is a Fijian lawyer and a former politician, who served as Attorney-General from May 1987 to September 1987 and against as Attorney General and Minister for Justice in the interim Cabinet formed by Laisenia Qarase in the wake of the Fiji coup of 2000...	2000–2001	Ratu Josefa Iloilo Josefa Iloilo Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ was the President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 until 4 January 2007 . He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast...	Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...
33.	Qoriniasi Babitu Bale Qoriniasi Bale Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...	2001–2006
34.	Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Fiji's Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Anti-Corruption, Public Enterprises, Industry, Investment, Tourism and Communications...	2007–present		Commodore Commodore (rank) Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...  Frank Bainimarama Frank Bainimarama Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, CF, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title Ratu , is a Fijian naval officer and politician. He is the Commander of the Fijian Military Forces and, as of April 2009, Prime Minister...
[1] The Attorney-General in this period is formally appointed by the President, but on the advice of the Prime Minister.

External links

• Website of the Office of the Attorney General of Fiji