The NPP government’s decision to establish an Office of the Public Prosecutor, in line with a UNHRC resolution, has hit a snag; the Legal Officers’ Association of the Attorney General’s Department is opposing the creation of a separate prosecutorial office.
The Cabinet of Ministers, on 07 May, 2025, decided to set up a separate prosecutorial office.
The Legal Officers’ Association has alleged that such a move would undermine the Department’s independence, efficiency and professional standards.
The Justice Ministry began the process of setting up the separate prosecutorial office with the participation of the AG and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
The Legal Officers’s Association has said there is no scientific evidence to prove that separating the prosecutorial function from the Department will help achieve the intended objectives.
The Association has stressed that independence and transparency must apply not only to prosecutions but also to all other functions of the Attorney General’s Department, including its Civil Division.
It has warned that dividing the Department could erode independence, diminish professional standards and contribute to operational inefficiencies.
It is of the view that the proposed separation will be “unreasonable, arbitrary, devoid of any rational basis or merit, and ultimately be counter-productive”. It has reaffirmed its support for internal reforms designed to strengthen the Department’s operations.