Sri Lankan-born attorney Vincent Perera was sworn in as the new Attorney General of Seychelles at the State House on Wednesday, it was reported.
According to Seychelles News Agency, Perera said, “Together with my team, I will pledge that I will be contributing to the best of my abilities to see that the rule of law in this beautiful country is upheld.”
He revealed that “there are changes in the system we operate that I intend to bring through my experience of working in other jurisdictions, so I have to beef up the prosecutors with the necessary skills.”
This will include the necessary training to ensure that they are one step ahead of criminals and that “together we shall ensure that guilt shall not escape, nor innocent suffer,” he said.
The Attorney General’s Office has the mandate of providing the government with legal advice and is the country’s criminal prosecution service. It is also responsible for ensuring legal footing when the government signs international treaties, conventions and agreements as well as other complex contracts the government enters.
Sri Lanka-born Perera is qualified as an attorney-at-law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, barrister and solicitor of Fiji and an accredited mediator at the Singapore Mediation Centre.
He also holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Colombo and before he was appointed Attorney General, Perera was working at the Seychelles’ Attorney General’s Office as a legal consultant heading civil litigation.
Perera said that he will be studying the issue of case backlogs in the system.
“When I come to know the statistics, I will devise a system, because I have the experience in clearing backlogs,” he added.
Perera will be holding office for the coming four years, replacing Frank Ally, who has held the post since October 2017. (Newswire/ Seychelles News Agency)