History
Pre-1867
Between the grant of the Second Charter of Justice in 1826 and the formation of the Crown colony of the Straits Settlements in 1867, the function of legal adviser to the government in Singapore was vested in various offices. From 1826 to 1855, it was the Recorder of the Prince of Wales Island, Malacca and Singapore; from 1855 to 1864, the Recorder of Singapore; and from 1864 to 1867, the Crown Counsel, Singapore. [7]
1867–1942: Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements
The office of Attorney-General was created on 1 April 1867, when Sir Thomas Braddell was appointed as the first attorney-general of the Straits Settlements. He was based in Singapore while his solicitor-general, Daniel Logan, was based in Penang. [7]
1942–1945: Japanese occupation of Singapore
Following the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, Japanese troops arrested the attorney-general, Charles Gough Howell, KC , who died in Japanese captivity. Concurrently, the civilian courts ceased to function.
Subsequently, the Japanese military administration established the office of Kensatsu-kan, or Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor, [8] presumably on 27 May 1942 when the civilian courts were re-opened by proclamation. [9]
1959–1965: State Advocate-General of the State of Singapore
After the State of Singapore gained full internal self-governance in 1959, Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim was appointed State Advocate-General, becoming Singapore's first non-British legal adviser to the government.
Post-1965: Attorney-General of the Republic of Singapore
Following the Republic of Singapore's independence on 9 August 1965, Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim became the country's first attorney-general. [7]
The appointment of Lucien Wong, SC , as the ninth attorney-general, was debated in Parliament. He was aged 63 at the time of his appointment; the retirement age is 60 and he was older than the previous Attorney-General who retired at age 60. Minister for Law K. Shanmugam, who was a senior partner with Wong at Allen & Gledhill, [10] argued that his appointment, being for a specified term, was “in accordance with Article 35 of the Constitution.” [11]
Wong was previously the personal lawyer of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and also advised Lee on issues relating to Lee Kuan Yew's will. [12]
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The law officers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom and devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They are variously referred to as the Attorney General, Solicitor General, Lord Advocate, or Advocate General depending on seniority and geography – though other terms are also in use, such as the Counsel General for Wales. Law officers in these roles are distinguished by being political appointees, while also being bound by the duties of independence, justice and confidentiality among the other typical professional commitments of lawyers. These roles do not have any direct oversight of prosecutions nor do they directly lead or influence criminal investigations. This is a distinguishing factor between law officers and the state attorneys general of the United States or US Attorney General.
An advocate general of a state is a senior officer of the law. In some common law and hybrid jurisdictions the officer performs the function of a legal advisor to the government, analogous to attorneys general in other common law and hybrid jurisdictions. By contrast, in the European Union and some continental European jurisdictions, the officer is a neutral legal advisor to the courts.
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