Attorney General (The Gambia)
| Attorney General of the Gambia | |
|---|---|
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| Style | The Honourable |
| Member of | Gambian Cabinet |
| Residence |
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| Appointer | President of the Gambia |
| Inaugural holder | William Richard Townsend |
| Formation | 1902 |
| Deputy | Solicitor General |
The Attorney General of the Gambia is a cabinet-level position in the Gambia responsible for providing legal advice to the Gambian government and appearing on its behalf in the courts of the land. The post is often held in conjunction with that of Minister of Justice, who is the head of the Ministry of Justice and responsible for legal affairs. The current Attorney General is Ba Tambadou, a former attorney with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
The office of Attorney General has been described by Hassan Bubacar Jallow as having "great antiquity" in the Gambia. Its origins can be traced back to the creation of the office of King's Advocate in 1831, formed to head the Legal Adviser's Office. From 1831 to 1837, Mr Hunter, the Colonial Secretary, performed the office as part of his duties. In 1839, following the accession of Queen Victoria, Richard Pine was appointed as the Queen's Advocate.
The first Attorney General of the Gambia, William Richard Townsend, was appointed in 1902. The Legal Adviser's Office was staffed with Legal Assistants, who assisted the Attorney General in his work. The first of these was Donald Kingdom, who went on to become Chief Justice of Nigeria in 1929. From 1913 to 1945, these Legal Assistants were known as Legal Advisers to the Crown. In 1945, the Legal Adviser's Office was re-designated as the Crown Law Office, with the Attorney General remaining as its head.
The office underwent a period of growth. In 1953, only the Attorney General and a single Legal Adviser were listed as law officers in the Gambia, but by 1966, an Attorney General, Solicitor General, Registrar General and Crown Counsel were all recorded. 1966 was also the first time a Solicitor General was provided for the Gambia. The 1965 constitution, upon independence, provided for the Attorney General to be the principal legal advisor to the Gambian government and also stated that it should be a full government minister. The constitution also created the independent office of Director of Public Prosecutions to oversee criminal prosecutions.
In 1968, a Ministry of Justice was created, with the new title of the department becoming the Attorney General's Chambers and Ministry of Justice. The 1970 republican constitution made the Attorney General a voting member of the House of Representatives.
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Wikipedia