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42-732: Iruresa was founded under the Irudina name. The Irudina name was registered by President's Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty. On the night of 16 October 2005 armed men entered the printing press of Leader Publications, threatened the manager with "dire consequences" if the newspapers continued to be printed and then set fire to bundles of newspapers. The attack came after The Sunday Leader had published an article which alleged that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had misappropriated tsunami relief funds. The printing press of Leader Publications in Ratmalana

84-554: A group of unidentified men tried to force their way into her home in Borella . After Lasantha Wickrematunge's assassination in 2009 Ladduwahetty demanded Rs. 3 million from Lal Wickrematunge for use of the Irudina name. Lal Wickrematunge renamed the newspaper Iruresa . In September 2012 Asanga Seneviratne , an ally of President Mahinda Rajapaksa , bought a 72% stake in the Iruresa and its sister newspaper The Sunday Leader . Seneviratne

126-683: A legal adviser for the High Court of Admiralty , known as the Admiralty Advocate , but this office lapsed in 1875 when the Admiralty Court became part of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice . The Crown's representative in the ecclesiastical courts of England was the King's Advocate (or Queen's Advocate when the monarch was female). This office has been vacant since

168-664: A maximum of 1 batch per year, and The number of PCs appointed per year should not exceed 10. In 1984 Senior Attorneys-at-Law were reappointed as PCs. Law officer The law officers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom and devolved governments of Northern Ireland , Scotland and Wales . They are variously referred to as the Attorney General, Solicitor General, Lord Advocate, or Advocate General depending on seniority and geography – though other terms are also in use, such as

210-645: A reduced role of the British Government in Scots law. The office of Advocate to the monarch is an ancient one, pre–dating the Treaty of Union 1707 and existed in the pre–union Kingdom of Scotland . The first recorded Lord Advocate was Sir John Ross of Montgrenan, who is formally mentioned in 1483. At this time the post was generally called the King's Advocate and only in the year 1573 was the term "Lord Advocate" first used. Under

252-634: A republic in 1972. It is equivalent to the appointment of a King's Counsel in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, and that of Senior Counsel in Commonwealth republics, bearing the same privileges, such as sitting within the Bar of court. The professional rank of being a President's Counsel is a status conferred by the President under Article 33 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka . It does not entail

294-472: Is a barrister and can appear in court in person, though in practice he/she rarely does so, and then only in cases of outstanding national importance. In those cases the Government Legal Department provides his back-up. When appearing in court in person he/she is addressed by the judge as "Mr. Attorney". The Attorney General also has supervisory powers over prosecutions, including those mounted by

336-692: Is advised on Scots law by the Advocate General for Scotland , and from 1707 to 1998, the Lord Advocate was the chief legal adviser of the British Government and the Crown on Scottish legal matters, both civil and criminal, until the Scotland Act 1998 devolved most domestic affairs to the Scottish Parliament. Since the re–establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government in 1999, there has been

378-772: Is held by the Crown (in trust for the monarch ) and administered independently of the monarch under the supervision of a government minister, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster . Before the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the legal advisers to the Crown in the Courts of Ireland were the Attorney-General for Ireland and the Solicitor-General for Ireland . These offices became redundant in 1921. The Crown also had

420-667: Is made by the President of Sri Lanka by letters patent , thereafter the appointed President's Counsel takes the oath of office at a ceremonial sitting of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka at which point the appointee is considered a President's Counsel and are called to the Inner Bar . Law officers who are public prosecutors of the Attorney General's Department are customarily appointed as President's Counsel after they are promoted to

462-479: Is managing director of Asia Fort Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd and vice president of Sri Lanka Cricket . He is also president of Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and controversially appointed President Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa as captain of the Sri Lanka national rugby union team . The Sunday Leader had published a number of reports exposing Seneviratne's property developments and investment deals. After buying

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504-504: Is the deputy to the Lord Advocate, and act as an assistant to the Lord Advocate undertaking their functions. As with the Lord Advocate, the Solicitor General is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the incumbent First Minister of Scotland. As well as supporting the Lord Advocate in the delivery of the Lord Advocate's functions, the Solicitor General may also exert their statutory and common law powers, where necessary. Both

546-643: Is the most senior of the two Scottish law officers, and the Lord Advocate is a member of the Scottish Government . The Lord Advocate serves as the head of the criminal prosecution system and has sole responsibility for the investigation of deaths within Scotland. Additionally, the Lord Advocate is the sole, principal legal adviser to the Scottish Government and acts as the representative of the Scottish Government within civil proceedings and hearings. They have

588-466: The Attorney General for England and Wales was also Attorney General for Northern Ireland. The separate office of Attorney General for Northern Ireland was re-created alongside the new office of Advocate General for Northern Ireland upon the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 April 2010. As a result, these functions were split between: Under

630-492: The Counsel General for Wales . Law officers in these roles are distinguished by being political appointees, while also being bound by the duties of independence, justice and confidentiality among the other typical professional commitments of lawyers. These roles do not have any direct oversight of prosecutions nor do they directly lead or influence criminal investigations. This is a distinguishing factor between law officers and

672-590: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and is the chief public prosecutor in Scotland. It is not within the powers of the Scottish Parliament to remove the incumbent Lord Advocate from their post as head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths. Like other law officers elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the Lord Advocate has a statutory duty in ensuring that all bills passed by

714-521: The Crown Prosecution Service , headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions . The Attorney General may appeal cases to the higher courts where, although the particular case is settled, there may be a point of law of public importance at issue. The Attorney General has public interest functions, being, for example, the trustee of default where a sole trustee has died, and can also take cases to

756-526: The Crown Prosecution Service , headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions ; the Serious Fraud Office ; and the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office . While the Attorney General is not personally involved with prosecutions, some prosecutions (e.g. rioting ) cannot be commenced without their consent, and they generally have the power to halt prosecutions. Criminal prosecutions are the responsibility of

798-583: The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka granted the President powers to appoint "as President's Counsel, attorneys-at-law who have reached eminence in the profession and have maintained high standards of conduct and professional rectitude." It also grants President's Counsel "all such privileges as were hitherto enjoyed by Queen's Counsel". The holder can use the post-nominal letters PC after his or her name. Although recommendations are made by

840-623: The Government of Wales Act 2006 , the Counsel General for Wales is the chief legal adviser to, and a member of, the Welsh Government . Some subjects are entitled to have an attorney general: these include a queen consort and the Prince of Wales , who has an Attorney General for the Duchy of Cornwall . There is also an Attorney-General of the Duchy of Lancaster , which is a mostly landed inheritance that

882-484: The Iruresa , Seneviratne bought the Irudina name from Ladduwahetty for Rs. 2 million. The Iruresa is to be renamed Irudina . President%27s Counsel A president's counsel ( postnominal PC ) is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka as an individual "learned in the law". The term is an honorific that replaced the Queen's Counsel (QC), which Sri Lanka ceased appointing when it became

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924-593: The Supreme Court where points of general legal importance need to be settled. The Attorney General's deputy is the Solicitor General for England and Wales , held by Sarah Sackman , since 9 July 2024. Under the Law Officers Act 1997 , the Solicitor General may do anything on behalf of, or in the place of, the Attorney General, and vice versa. Since the prorogation of the Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1972,

966-560: The state attorneys general of the United States or US Attorney General . Each British Overseas Territory , apart from the British Indian Ocean Territory , also has its own Attorney General. Many Commonwealth countries or those with a history of British colonisation retain these titles, though their particular roles and responsibilities may differ from the roles in the United Kingdom. There are eight Law Offices in

1008-620: The 1999 constitutional reforms brought about by the Scotland Act 1998 , the Lord Advocate has become the most senior law officer of the Scottish Government , acting as the chief legal adviser, as well as ultimately being responsible for the functioning of Scots law with all prosecutions on indictment in Scotland being conducted in the name of the Lord Advocate. The Lord Advocate does not attend Scottish cabinet meetings, however, they do see all cabinet papers and may be required to, along with

1050-648: The Chief Justice, Attorney General, and the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka; per the Eighth Amendment, the appointments are wholly within the gift of the President. Criticism has been made following the appointment of 75 President's Counsels by President Maithripala Sirisena between 2017 and 2019. This had been after the Bar Association introduced a set of guidelines for appointing PCs in April 2016, which

1092-516: The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland are independent from the Scottish Government and its ministers in connection to criminal prosecutions and death investigations within Scotland. The duty to act independently on matters from both the Scottish Government and Scottish ministers is recognised in Section 48(5) of the Scotland Act 1998 . Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Government

1134-517: The Lord Advocate being the most senior law officer in Scotland and is the chief legal adviser to the Scottish Government. Following devolution , a new position of Advocate General for Scotland was created to advise the UK Government on matters of Scots law . The office of the Advocate General for Scotland should not be confused with that of "His Majesty's Advocate", which is the term used for

1176-582: The Lord Advocate in Scottish criminal proceedings as the head of the systems of prosecution in Scotland. The Welsh Government has its own law officer: the Counsel General for Wales ; as does the Northern Irish executive : the Attorney General for Northern Ireland . The two Attorneys General for the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are non-political appointments. They are not typically being referred to when

1218-489: The Scottish Parliament are within its legislative competence. The Lord Advocate has specific duties granted under the Scotland Act 1998 which allows them to investigate and resolve legal questions and concerns about the devolved powers of both the Scottish ministers and the Scottish Parliament. The Lord Advocate is assisted by the Solicitor General for Scotland , held by Ruth Charteris , since 22 June 2021. The Solicitor General

1260-453: The Secretary to the President, P.B. Jayasundera. On 23 December 2023 President Ranil Wickremasinghe appointed 10 President's Counsel based on the above criteria. One year later, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake granted the patent to two Additional Solicitors General who are ex officio entitled to be made President's Counsel. As per the new Guidelines, appointments of PCs should be limited to

1302-556: The Solicitor General, attend cabinet meetings where the topic of discussion is relating to a matter of which the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General is responsible for, such as a specific legal aspect or the operations, functioning and funding of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Although not a member of the Scottish cabinet, the Lord Advocate is a member of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation, and contributes to

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1344-520: The United Kingdom, though not all serve the Westminster Government . The role of Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland has been held by the Lord Hermer since 5 July 2024. He is supported by the Solicitor General for England and Wales . The Scottish Government has two law officers, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland , with

1386-530: The drafting, delivery and implementation of parliamentary bills and subsequent laws by way of attending Ministerial Bill Management Meetings. and The office holder of the post of Lord Advocate is the chief legal adviser to the Scottish Government and the crown in Scotland. The Lord Advocate is not head of the Faculty of Advocates; that position is held by the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. The position of Lord Advocate

1428-433: The first King's Counsels in the island of Ceylon, which was a British colony at the time. Since then eminent lawyers who were advocates were appointed as King's Counsel until the title changed to Queen's Counsel with the change of monarch in 1952. When Ceylon became a republic in 1972, appointments of QCs were no longer possible, and the equivalent of "Senior Attorney-at-Law" was used. In 1984, President J. R. Jayewardene

1470-524: The grade of Additional Solicitor General. These may be singular appointments made several times a year after their promotion. Once in several years, several attorneys from the unofficial bar will be appointed based on recommendations forwarded by the Chief Justice, Attorney General, and the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) to the President. In 1903, Frederick Dornhorst , Ponnambalam Ramanathan and Thomas De Sampayo were sworn in as

1512-565: The power to refer a bill of the Scottish Parliament to the Supreme Court within the four week timeframe period to allow the Supreme Court to determine whether any aspect of a Scottish parliamentary bill or any associated provisions of a bill are out–with the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, should it be disputed by any member of either the Scottish Parliament, UK Parliament or any other Scottish or UK politician. The Lord Advocate, held by Dorothy Bain , since 22 June 2021, heads

1554-662: The second half of the 20th century it became unusual for the Attorney General to be formally a member of the Cabinet. Rather he/she would attend only when the Cabinet required legal advice. The Attorney General oversees the small Attorney General's Office and also has responsibility for the Government Legal Department , which is headed by the Treasury Solicitor . In practice, the Treasury Solicitor (who also has

1596-478: The term law officer is used, as this tends to be reserved for political appointees. The Attorney General for England and Wales , a member of the UK Government , is similarly the chief law officer of the Crown in England and Wales and advises and represents the Crown and government departments in court. By convention, and unlike the papers of other ministers, this legal advice is available to subsequent governments. In

1638-536: The title of Procurator General) normally provides the lawyers or briefs Treasury Counsel to appear in court, although the Attorney General may appear in person. The person appointed to this role provides legal advice to the Government, acts as the representative of the public interest and resolves issues between government departments. The Government Legal Department provides advice to government departments, instructing independent counsel where necessary. The Attorney General

1680-425: The titleholder being employed by the President or state. Appointments are made from lawyers who have practiced as counsel in original and appellate courts for many years either in the official or unofficial bar . Holders of the title of President's Counsel appointed to the judiciary do not lose the title. Since 2023, the President makes appointments of Senior Instructing Attorneys-at-Law . The appointment

1722-455: Was based on the constitution's Article 33(2)(e) which states that PCs should be "Attorneys-at-law who have reached eminence in the profession and have maintained high standards of conduct and professional rectitude". Subsequently, new guidelines were issued in 2021, to regulate the appointment of PCs, aiming towards a more uniform and fair system. On 22 November 2021, the Gazette was issued by

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1764-460: Was burnt down on 21 November 2007 by a group of armed masked men who entered the building, poured petrol on the printing machines and set fire to them. The attack came after The Morning Leader had been critical of the Asian Tribune 's relationship with a government backed paramilitary group. Irudina journalist Dileesha Abeysundera was the target of a kidnapping attempt on 28 September 2009 when

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