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. The previous Solicitor-General was Christopher Pryde, who took office in July 2007 until he was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions in 2011. [1] The Office is currently vacant, although Deputy Solicitor-General Sharvada Sharma has been acting in the position to date.
Unlike the Attorney-General, who holds political office as a member of the House of Representatives or Senate, the Solicitor-General is a civil servant. He is required by the Constitution to hold a law degree and to be a registered lawyer.
The following persons have held the office of Solicitor-General since it was established in 1945.
No. | Solicitor-General | Tenure |
---|---|---|
1. | Alistair Granville Forbes | 1945–1948 |
2. | Brian Andre Doyle | 1948–1951 |
3. | Philip N. Dalton | 1951–1953 |
4. | William Gordon Bryce | 1953–1956 |
5. | Ashley Martin Greenwood | 1956 |
6. | Henry Roger Justin Lewis | 1956–1963 |
7. | Donald McLoughlin | 1963–1971 |
8. | Harold Picton-Smith | 1971–1979 |
9. | Qoriniasi Babitu Bale | 1979–1984 |
10. | John Richard Flower | 1984–1987 |
11. | Filimone Jitoko | 1987–1993 |
12. | Isikeli Mataitoga | 1993–1997 |
13. | Nainendra Nand | 1997–2006 |
14. | Christopher Pryde | 2007 – 2011 [2] |
15. | Sharvada Nand Sharma (acting) | 2011 — ? |
15. | Ropate Green Lomavatu | 2023 — present [3] |
Fiji has experienced many coups recently, in 1987, 2000, and 2006. Fiji has been suspended various times from the Commonwealth of Nations, a grouping of mostly former British colonies. It was readmitted to the Commonwealth in December 2001, following the parliamentary election held to restore democracy in September that year, and has been suspended again because of the 2006 coup, but has been readmitted a second time after the 2014 election. Other Pacific Island governments have generally been sympathetic to Fiji's internal political problems and have declined to take public positions.
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