Attorney-General of Singapore


The Attorney-General of the Republic of Singapore is the legal adviser to the Government of Singapore and the Public Prosecutor. He carries out his functions with the assistance of his deputies, including the Deputy Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General, through the Attorney-General's Chambers. The current Attorney-General is Lucien Wong,.
The office of attorney-general was born in Singapore in 1867, when the British crown appointed an Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements, based in Singapore, to serve as legal adviser to the new crown colony's government. Today, the President of Singapore appoints the Attorney-General, acting in his discretion and in concurrence with the Prime Minister's advice, 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.

Functions

The Attorney-General has two distinct roles, as the Government's legal adviser and as the Public Prosecutor, in which he is assisted by legal officers in the AGC's four divisions.

Government legal adviser

The Attorney-General's role as the Government's legal adviser is performed by the AGC's Civil Division. His functions include advising ministries and organs of state on legal matters, drafting and vetting contracts and legal documents and representing the Government in international initiatives and litigation matters, among others. He is also the Protector of Charities.
The International Affairs Division advises Government agencies on international-law issues, represents Singapore in bilateral and multilateral negotiations, and negotiates and drafts multilateral and bilateral legal instruments, among other roles.
The Legislation Division comprises four groups. The Law Drafting Group drafts legislation and advises Government agencies on development of legislation. The Legislative Editorial and Revision Group undertakes law revision. The Law Publication Group maintains Singapore Statutes Online, among other duties. The Business Services and Governance Group provides administrative support to the other groups.

Public Prosecutor

The Attorney-General's role as the Public Prosecutor is performed by the AGC's Crime Division. Prosecutorial discretion grants him the power to institute, conduct or discontinue any prosecution at his discretion.
In criminal law, it is the role of the prosecution to discharge its burden, a must to first prove its case in a court of law against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. In general, it is not for the accused to prove his innocence, since the accused is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

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.

1867–1942: Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements

The office of Attorney-General was created on 1 Apr 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.

1942–1945: Japanese Occupation of Singapore

Following the fall of Singapore on 15 Feb 1942, Japanese troops arrested the Attorney-General, Charles Gough Howell,, 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, presumably on 27 May 1942 when the civilian courts were re-opened by proclamation.

1945–1946: British Military Administration

Following the formal surrender of Japanese forces in Southeast Asia on 12 Sept 1945, the responsibility of rendering legal advice to the British Military Administration of Malaya lay with its Chief Legal Officer.

1946–1959: Attorney-General of the Crown Colony of Singapore

When Singapore became a crown colony on 1 Apr 1946, Sir Edward John Davies, was appointed as the first Attorney-General of the Crown Colony of Singapore.

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 as the State Advocate-General, becoming Singapore’s first non-British government legal adviser.

Post-1965: Attorney-General of the Republic of Singapore

Following the Republic of Singapore's independence on 9 Aug 1965, Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim became the republic’s first Attorney-General.

List of office holders

Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements

#Attorney-General of the Straits SettlementsTook officeLeft office
1Thomas Braddell1 Apr 18671 Jan 1883
–John Augustus Harwood 2 Jan 18832 Oct 1883
2John Winfield Bonser3 Oct 18836 Nov 1893
3William Robert Collyer7 Nov 18934 Feb 1906
–John Robert Innes 5 Feb 190628 Feb 1907
4Walter John Napier1 Mar 190731 Dec 1909
5Frederick Belfield1 Jan 191020 Feb 1911
6Thomas de Multon Lee Braddell21 Feb 191124 Jan 1913
–Evelyn Campbell Elli 25 Jan 191324 Apr 1913
7Gerald Aubrey Goodman25 Apr 191318 Nov 1919
8James William Murison19 Nov 19199 Jul 1925
9Michael Whitley10 Jul 192512 Jul 1929
10Walter Huggard13 Jul 192920 Apr 1933
11Percy Alexander McElwaine21 Apr 193310 Aug 1936
–Newnham Arthur Worley 27 Oct 193610 Dec 1936
12Charles Gough Howell11 Aug 193614 Feb 1942

Kensatsu-kan of Syonan-to

#Kensatsu-kan of Syonan-toFromTo
––15 Feb 194226 May 1942
1Ichihara Kakka27 May 194211 Sep 1945

Chief Legal Officer, British Military Administration of Malaya

#Chief Legal Officer, British Military AdministrationTook officeLeft office
1Lieutenant Colonel T. C. Spencer-Wilkinson12 Sep 194531 Mar 1946

Attorney-General of the Crown Colony of Singapore

#Attorney-General of the Crown Colony of SingaporeTook officeLeft office
1Sir John Davies, KC1 Apr 19465 Sep 1955
2Charles Harris Butterfield, QC6 Sep 19551 Jul 1957
3Ernest Pattison Shanks, QC2 Jul 195724 Jun 1959

State Advocate-General of the State of Singapore

#State Advocate-General of the State of SingaporeTook officeLeft officePrevious officeSubsequent office
1Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim25 Jun 19598 Aug 1965Crown Counsel and Deputy Public ProsecutorAttorney-General of Singapore

Attorney-General of the Republic of Singapore

#Attorney-General of the Republic of SingaporeTook officeLeft officePrevious officeSubsequent office
1Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim9 Aug 196531 Jan 1967State Advocate-General of SingaporeAmbassador to the United Arab Republic
–Tan Boon Teik 1 Feb 196731 Dec 1968––
2Tan Boon Teik, SC1 Jan 196930 Apr 1992Solicitor-General of SingaporeChairman, Singapore International Arbitration Centre
3Chan Sek Keong, SC1 May 199210 Apr 2006Judge of the Supreme Court of SingaporeChief Justice of Singapore
4Chao Hick Tin, SC11 Apr 200610 Apr 2008Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of SingaporeJudge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Singapore
5Walter Woon, SC11 Apr 200810 Apr 2010Solicitor-General of SingaporeProfessor, National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
–Koh Juat Jong, SC 11 Apr 201030 Sep 2010Solicitor-General of SingaporeSolicitor-General of Singapore
6Sundaresh Menon, SC1 Oct 201024 Jun 2012Managing Partner, Rajah & TannJudge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Singapore
7Steven Chong, SC25 Jun 201224 Jun 2014Judge of the Supreme Court of SingaporeJudge of the Supreme Court of Singapore
8V K Rajah, SC25 Jun 201413 Jan 2017Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of SingaporeRetired
9Lucien Wong, SC14 Jan 2017IncumbentDeputy Attorney-General of Singapore–