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Laws’ delays: AG’s Dept. to be restructured
View(s):Parliament’s legal experts working out new plan to expedite cases
By Damith Wickremesekera
A committee of ministers and parliamentarians will probe delays at the Attorney General’s Department and the Legal Draftsman’s Office, the Cabinet of Ministers have decided.
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told the Sunday Times yesterday that hundreds of cases were delayed and more were piling up. “We want to ensure that the Attorney General’s Department expedite such cases so that within two to three weeks the cases will be before courts,” he said.
“We will introduce a restructuring plan for the Attorney General’s Department particularly to prevent delays,” said Mr. Rajapakshe who is the Chairman of the new Committee. He added that there were also delays in the Legal Draftsman’s Department with regard to the formulation of draft legislation.
The Justice Minister noted that previously the AG’s Department was brought under the purview of the former President. “This led to political interference which caused considerable damage. We are now trying to undo it,” he said.
The other members of the committee are Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Rauff Hakeem and D.M. Swaminathan, UNP National List MPs Tilak Marapana, PC (one time Attorney General) and Dr. Jayampathy Wickremeratne, PC.
He said there were similar delays in the Government Analyst’s Department earlier. Measures had been taken now to ensure that delays were not beyond a month on matters placed before it.