THURSDAY, 5.30PM:
A DRAFT bill which creates a national attorney-general’s office, protected by legislation from political interference, was presented to Parliament on Friday.
The bill, an important move in the establishment of an independent justice system, replaces the current system of local attorney generals with a single national prosecuting authority, which uses the same criteria to prosecute in all provinces.
The director of the department will be appointed by the president, and hold office for up to seven years. The Bill grants members of the national prosecuting authority the power to exercise their functions independently, without interference from the executive or other sectors. Obstruction, interference or hindering the prosecutors carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment.
The Bill provides for the appointment of as many as three directors. A transitional arrangment allows for anyone holding office as an attorney-general to be eligible to become a director .