In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enforcement, prosecutions or even responsibility for legal affairs generally. In practice, the extent to which the attorney general personally provides legal advice to the government varies between jurisdictions, and even between individual office-holders within the same jurisdiction, often depending on the level and nature of the office-holder's prior legal experience.
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, state attorney or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties. The exact scope of the office varies by state. Generally, the prosecutor represents the people of the jurisdiction in the state's courts. With the exception of three states, district attorneys are elected, unlike similar roles in other common law jurisdictions.
The Attorney General of Malaysia is the principal legal adviser of Malaysia. The Attorney General is also the highest ranking public prosecutor in the country and is also known as the Public Prosecutor, or simply PP. The powers with regard to prosecution is contained in Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution. For instance, exercisable at his discretion, the Attorney General may institute, conduct or discontinue any proceedings for an offence, other than proceedings before a Syariah court, a native court or a court-martial.
The attorney-general of Singapore is the public prosecutor of the Republic of Singapore and legal adviser to the Government of Singapore. The attorney-general is the head of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), whose staff carries out the functions of the attorney-general. The attorney-general is appointed by the president, on the advice of the prime minister, under Article 35 of the Constitution of Singapore. Unlike some countries that follow the Westminster parliamentary model, the attorney-general is not a Member of Parliament.
The Royal Brunei Police Force, RBPF (Malay: Polis Diraja Brunei is in charge of keeping law and order in Brunei. The RBPF has been one of the 190 members of INTERPOL, an intergovernmental organisation worldwide since 1984.
The politics of Brunei take place in a framework of an absolute monarchy, whereby the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government. As the only absolute monarchy still in existence in Asia, Brunei is the only ruling monarchy in Southeast Asia. As of 2023, Brunei is one of seven monarchic dictatorships in the world.
In common law, the principle of prosecutorial discretion allows public prosecutors a wide latitude to decide whether or not to charge a person for a crime, and which charges to file. A similar principle in continental law countries is called the principle of opportunity.
The Attorney General's Office of the Republic of Indonesia is the competent authority to advise the Government of Indonesia on matters of law. It serves as the central organization for the Indonesian Public Prosecution Service. The Attorney General's Office is seated in the national capital Jakarta.
Bala Reddy is a Singaporean senior lawyer. He is presently the senior principal district judge and director of the Community Justice and Tribunals division in the State Courts of Singapore. Reddy is an authority in international criminal justice systems and served as a legal expert for the United Nations Development Programme as well as the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Prior to his judicial appointment to the State Courts in 2014, Reddy was the Chief Prosecutor in the Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore during Justice Steven Chong's tenure as Attorney-General.
Hayati binti Haji Mohd Salleh is a Bruneian lawyer and the first female Attorney General of Brunei, who served the office from 2009 to 2018. She is also the first female judge in Brunei, as well as the first female High Court Judge in the Supreme Court of Brunei. She is also the first Bruneian Malay woman to be called to the English Bar.
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abang Iskandar bin Abang Hashim is a Malaysian jurist and lawyer who serves as the twelfth President of the Court of Appeal. He previously served as the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak (CJSS).
Isa bin Haji Ibrahim is a nobleman and politician from Brunei who currently serves as the Special Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan and Minister at the Prime Minister's Office since 30 January 2018.
The Privy Council is a formal body of advisers to the monarch of Brunei. When His Majesty appoints people to posts with traditional ranks, titles, and honours, the council provides advice.
Pengiran Bahrin bin Pengiran Haji Abbas, sometimes spelled Pengiran Bahrin Abas, is a lawyer and politician in the Government of Brunei whom formerly took office as the first Minister of Law from 1984 to 1998, the first Minister of Communications from 1984 to 1986, and the sixth Attorney General of Brunei from 1978 to 1998.
Ahmad bin Haji Isa is a Bruneian lawyer who is the incumbent eighth Attorney General of Brunei from 2020 to 2024. He practices in the fields of criminal prosecution and defense work, aviation, international law, business and commercial law, banking, real estate, joint ventures, and intellectual property. He is also the chairman of the International School Brunei (ISB) Board of Directors, the director of AEGIS Secure Solutions, and member of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) council. In November 2022, he was appointed Vice President of the Brunei Darussalam Swimming Association (BDSA).
Mohammad Ali bin Haji Mohammad Daud was a Bruneian nobleman, politician and diplomat whom formerly served as the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 1986 to 1989, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 2005. Additionally, he was a member of the Islamic Religious Council, director of several Bruneian banks and the President of the Brunei Scouts from 1974 to 1979.
Idris Talog Davies CBE was a nobleman and judge who served in several high-ranking positions which included being appointed as a member of the Brunei Privy Council and the Brunei Attorney General. Notably, he was among the Avidosry Editorial Board for the Malayan Law Journal, and a lifetime member of the Malaysian Historical Society.
Kifrawi bin Haji Kifli is a Brunei magistrate who was appointed attorney general from 1998 to 2009, and the first local chief justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam from 2009 to 2018.
Nor Hashimah binti Haji Mohammed Taib is a Bruneian lawyer who is the incumbent ninth Attorney General of Brunei since 2024, replacing Ahmad Isa.
Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid is a Bruneian politician and civil servant became the current Minister of Development since 2022. Additionally, he is a member of the supervisory council of Darussalam Assets (DA), advisory board of Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (BKISHHB), council deputy chairman of University of Technology Brunei (UTB) and chairman of the board of directors of the Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) since 18 January 2023.
