Message from the Attorney General

The Office of the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Somalia was established under the Organization of the Judiciary, Legislative Decree No. 3 of 12 June 1962, as part of the Judiciary in Somalia. The Office’s mandate is enshrined in Chapters II, VII and VIII of the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Judicial Organization Law and the Criminal Procedure Code.

My vision, upon assuming the office of Attorney General, was to ensure that we uphold the rule of law every day, protect the rights of the people and protect our country from both domestic and international criminal threats. To achieve this vision, our office has a strategic plan that organises the work of the Attorney General’s Office into six main strategic goals that will guide the work of the office over the next five years:

Six strategic goals for the next five years

1. 01

   Improve our legal obligations within a framework of strong governance and sound management practices.

2. 02

   Ensure respect for laws and protect the rights of incapacitated persons and vulnerable people.

3. 03

   Build and enhance prosecutorial capacity services by upholding the principles of accountability, good governance and integrity.

4. 04

   Promote the effective and efficient administration of prosecution and investigation services within the framework of the criminal justice system.

5. 05

   Maintain public confidence in the prosecution services.

6. 06

   Promote cooperation with stakeholders within the criminal justice system and relevant regional and international bodies to improve the overall quality of services.

Together with our vibrant team of professional prosecutors and experts, this plan will advance, guide and accelerate the progress of our work at the AGO. Taken together, the strategic plan provides a holistic approach to direct the activities of the AGO and to ensure that my office fulfils its responsibilities to the Federal Government of Somalia.

Over the past three years in which I have served as the Attorney General of the Federal Government of Somalia, I have had the grace to work alongside professional prosecutors and staff who are dedicated each day to serving Somalia to the best of their abilities. Together as a team, we expanded the office from only 2 units into 13 effective and fully functional units. Notably, the most important units include the Maritime Crimes Unit, the Financial and Economic Crimes Unit, the Environmental Crimes Unit, the Electronic and Cyber Crimes Unit, and the SGBV and Juvenile Units.

My office strengthened its coordination with the offices of the Federal Member States with the aim of decentralising the delivery of justice services to the Somali people at state level. In addition, we built the capacity of the office’s management team and of its non-prosecuting sections, including Police Investigation Directions, Witness and Evidence Protection, Oversight of Prisons and Detention, and Supervision of Criminal Records, to ensure effective prosecution.

Attaining the milestones ahead of us will need hard work and undivided determination, but I have the greatest confidence in our ability to deliver these milestones to our people.

— Hon. Sulayman Mohamed Mohamud