Structure
Uza. Fathimath Haleem
Counsel General
Uza. Aisha Naeem
Counsel General
Uza. Aminath Zeeniya
Counsel General
Uza. Faena Fayyaz
Senior State Counsel
Mohamed Mifthah
Director General
Summary of the divisions of Attorney General’s Office and the works carried out by the divisions
The Attorney General’s Office is mandated to carry out the work with respect to discharging the responsibilities of the Attorney General, as vested in him or her by the President of the Maldives under Article 133 of the Maldivian Constitution.
With respect to the changes brought to the organizational structure of the Attorney General’s office, prompted by the changes in the mandate of the Office brought by the President of the Maldives on 21 January 2019, the structure of the Office has been divided into 7 divisions, i.e. Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution Division, Legal Affairs Division and Law Reform and Legislative Division for all legal work, Human Rights and International Affairs Division for human rights related work, Research and Development Division, Administration, Budget and Procurement Division for administrative work, Human Resource, Bureau and Media Division.
- <b>Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of the Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution Division of the Attorney General’s Office are, litigating and defending the Maldivian State in civil and constitutional claims within national and international jurisdictions, representing the State in all courts, except for those matters deemed to be the responsibility of the Prosecutor General in the Maldivian Constitution and, appearing as a friend of the court in any civil proceedings to which the Government is not a party where in the opinion of the Attorney General the interests of the State or the public interest dictate.
- <b>Legal Affairs Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of this division are, providing legal advice to the government and State, providing legal advice with respect to Instrument of Full Power given to officials signing official documents on behalf of the Government, providing “legal opinion” on the ratification and execution of loan agreements between the Government and foreign financial institutions and arranging legal personnel to provide legal advice with respect to projects planned by the Government, tender assessment presented by the Government, various negotiations and undertakings entered into by the Government which require representation by legal persons. It also includes reviewing the draft Paper of rules and regulations prepared by government organizations and providing legal advice with respect to the implementation thereof, and providing legal advice in relation to the bills passed by the Parliament prior to its ratification by the President.
- <b>Law Reform and Legislative Affairs Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of this division include preparing the legislative agenda of the Government and drafting the Bills under the agenda, identifying fields not regulated by the law, researching those fields not regulated by the law with related institutions, getting those discussions on draft Paper, identifying outdated law or law that is no longer applicable in the Maldives and advising related government institutions to repeal said laws, researching reform of existing laws in need of reform with the relevant government institution. Furthermore, establishing standard operating procedures in criminal cases, establishing standard operating procedures to be followed by Government institutions in matters related to the State, and establishing specific operating procedures for lawyers providing legal service in Government and State institutions will be carried out by this division.
- <b>Human Rights and International Affairs Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of this division are, providing legal aid to individuals according to prescribed regulations under the Maldivian Constitution, coordinating human rights related policies of the Government, preparing the “Universal Periodic Review Report” by the Maldives with respect to human rights and fulfilling tasks related thereto, taking the necessary action in relation to any complaint submitted by Human Rights Commission or any other international organization or a foreign government with respect to any human rights contravention in the laws, regulations or administrative rules implemented by the Maldives identifying any contravention to human rights principles administrative rules, providing advice by Human Rights Commission to the Government on ratification of international human rights conventions and human rights regional conventions and covenants by the Maldives and providing support to the Human Rights Convention in the preparation of new human rights conventions. Furthermore, providing legal advice to the Government in relation to the Maldives becoming a Contracting Party to any international convention, international law and international obligations to be undertaken by the State.
- <b>Research and Development Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of this Division include identifying and carrying out vital and novel research and academic studies in relation to the legal and judicial field, and imparting that knowledge to the Attorneys in the Office; researching and preparing briefs on the judgments passed by the Courts of the Maldives, and imparting that information to the Attorneys in the Office; conducting research on prevalent legal issues in the light of local Court decisions and best practices of other jurisdictions. Other responsibilities of this Division also include identifying areas the Attorneys and other Staff of our Office require training and awareness on a needs-based assessment and conducting these sessions. In addition to conduct public awareness sessions on the laws implemented in the Maldives, as well as carrying out research on mandatory undertakings by the Government in order to uphold and promote the rule of law, maintain public order, public benefit and independence.
- <b>Administration, Budget and Procurement Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of the Administration, Budget and Procurement Division include strategic planning and organizing to promote the development of the Office, daily administrative running of the office and handling budget and financial work, coordinating procurement and logistics, providing administrative support to carry out the work of the Clemency Board, sharing information related to the Office to the general public, media and other relevant stakeholders.
- <b>Human Resource, Bureau and Media Division</b><br>The main responsibilities of the Human Resource, Bureau and Media Division are, fulfilling tasks related to employment and training of the employees, organizing the work related to the Attorney General’s Office Bureau, and sharing information related to the Office to the general public, media and other relevant stakeholders.
