The Attorney General is the principal legal adviser to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan and the Government of Brunei Darussalam. He is assisted by the Solicitor General and Counsels in advising the Government and representing the Government in civil and criminal cases. The Attorney General is also responsible for the drafting of legislation. In carrying out the task of legislative drafting, the Attorney General's Chambers work closely with the relevant Government Ministries and Departments.
The Attorney General is vested with the power under Article 81 of the Constitution to institute, conduct or discontinue any offence other than proceedings before a syariah court or proceedings before a court martial. All criminal prosecutions are instituted in the name of the Public Prosecutor. In carrying out this duty, the Attorney General is not subject to the direction or control of any person or authority. He is assisted by Deputy Public Prosecutors in the conduct of criminal trials held at the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts.
In addition, the Public Prosecutor and his Deputies also advise, and direct prosecution undertaken by the police and other law enforcement Departments including rendering advice in their investigations.
The Attorney General also has statutory duties under various written laws such as the Criminal Procedure Code (Chapter 7); Law Revision Act (Chapter 1); Royal Brunei Arms Forces Act (Chapter 149); Maintenance Orders Reciprocal Enforcement Act (Chapter 175); Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (Chapter 177); Emergency (Copyright) Order, 1999; the Emergency (Layout Design) Order, 1999; Anti-Terrorism Order, 2001 (S 45/2011); Criminal Asset Recovery Order, 2012 (S 47/2012); Plant Varieties Protection Order, 2015 (S 17/2015).
Apart from carrying out the above duties, the Attorney General is the Registrar of, and maintains the following Registries to provide service to the public:
- Industrial Designs
- Marriages
- Patents
- Powers of Attorney
- Trade Marks
Members of the public who requires legal advice can refer to the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam's website www.bruneilawsociety.com for the list of the law firms in Brunei Darussalam.
