The attorney-general of Samoa is a constitutional and legal officer in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

, responsible for advising the government on legal matters and bringing criminal proceedings. The current attorney-general is

Suʻa Hellene Wallwork Suʻa Hellene Wallwork-Lamb is a Samoan lawyer and jurist. Since September 2021 she has been Attorney-General of Samoa. Wallwork is from Lefaga and was educated at the University of Auckland. After working in the Office of the Attorney-General, ...

. The attorney-general is established as a constitutional officer by clause 41 of the

Constitution of Samoa The Constitution of Samoa is a written constitution which is the supreme law in Samoa. It establishes Samoa as a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system and responsible government. It outlines the structure and powers of the Samoan govern ...

. They are appointed by the ''

O le Ao o le Malo The Independent State of Samoa ( Samoan for "Chief of the government") is the ceremonial head of state of Samoa. The position is described in Part III of the 1960 Samoan constitution. At the time the constitution was adopted, it was anticipa ...

'' acting on the advice of the

prime minister of Samoa The prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa () is the head of government of Independent State of Samoa, Samoa. The prime minister is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, Legislative Assembly, and is appointed by the O le Ao o ...

and must be qualified to be a judge of the

Supreme Court of Samoa The Supreme Court of Samoa () is the superior court dealing with the administration of justice in Samoa. It was established by Part VI of the Constitution of Samoa. It consists of the chief justice of Samoa and other judges as appointed by the h ...

. Further functions of the office are specified in the ''Attorney General's Office Act 2013''. In addition to serving as chief executive of the

Attorney General's Office The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It supports the Attorney General and their deputy, the Solicitor General (together, the Law officers of the Crown in England and Wales). It ...

, the attorney-general also has a statutory duty to attend and advise the Cabinet of Samoa, and to supervise legal services and officials in other ministries and government agencies. In performing their legal and constitutional functions, the attorney-general is statutorily independent.''Attorney General's Office Act 2013'', section 7.

List of attorneys-general of Samoa

Tuiloma Neroni Slade Tuiloma Neroni Slade (born 8 April 1941) is a Samoan politician, diplomat and lawyer who held the post of secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat from 2008 to 4 December 2014. He was elected to the position for three years o ...

(1976 - 1982) * Misa Telefoni Retzlaff (1986 - 1988) * Patu Tiava'asu'e Falefatu Sapolu (1988 - 1991) * Tupa'i Seapa * Brenda Heather-Latu (1997 - 2006) * Ming Leung Wai (2006 - 2016) * Lemalu Herman Retzlaff (2016 - 2020) * Savalenoa Mareva Betham Annandale (2020 - 2021) *

(2021 -)

References

External links

Office of the Attorney-General
Government of Samoa Attorneys general of Samoa Prosecution services {{Samoa-stub