Office of the AG and Minister of Justice and JSCO host workshop

The Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice conducted a two-day workshop in collaboration with the Justice Sector Coordination Office (JSCO) from 17th to 18th June 2010, at the Hotel Barmoi, Aberdeen, Freetown, to look at the overall operations of the Law Officers’ Department. Permanent Secretaries and other officials from the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government, senior professionals, practicing lawyers and other stakeholders, attended the event.
In line with the expectations of the “Agenda for Change”, the Law Officers’ Department continues to position itself to better serve in its role as the Government’s Law Firm; streamline its legislative drafting processes; enhance the interface with MDAs; provide services to the public, including reducing delay and improving communications and expediting actions on providing better access to justice. The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Hon Abdul Serry-Kamal in opening the workshop urged the meeting to critically examine the issues slated for deliberation.
Papers were presented on the State Proceedings Act 2000 and its relevance to the Rule of Law, the Government Notice No. 444 1996 and the role of MDAs in Legislative Drafting, the Law Officers’ Act No. 6 of 1965 and the Attorney-General’s Instructions to the Police on the prosecution of cases in the courts.
Underlying the entire proceedings at the workshop was the need for an improved understanding and a review of the mechanisms, for MDAs’ forwarding instructions to the Law Officers’ Department for the drafting of legislation.