AG defends her dual role

ATTORNEY GENERAL and Minister of Justice Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana has defended holding two portfolios, saying it does not affect the running of the offices and fulfilling the respective duties.

Speaking during the Budget debate in the National Assembly on Friday, Iivula-Ithana said she was using that platform to raise the issue because she believed it was of constitutional, political and national interest. She said her remarks had been prompted by a reader’s leader in The Namibian on March 31, in which Alex Kaure said Iivula-Ithana’s response to controversial issues indicated that it was time her two roles were separated and placed with different individuals.Iivula-Ithana said she had always held the view that the two roles should be held by different people, but it did not mean that because one person occupied both roles, these were subsumed.She told the House that while there might be overlaps in performing the functions of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General, in her opinion there were no interferences.”The Attorney General receives legal advice from professionals, acting within the realm of their briefs, and it would be a very courageous Attorney General who would act in disregard of the constitutional function of Attorney General for the mere benefit of a political consideration as Minister of Justice,” she said.Iivula-Ithana noted that she had presided over a period when the Office of the Attorney General was being moved out of the Ministry of Justice to consolidate a professional law office to better service the needs of Government.”Therefore we know that there is cause for concern, but not in the manner and extent published in the article of Mr Kaure,” said Iivula-Ithana.Kaure had said that in his opinion the Attorney General should be someone with deeper understanding of the law through extensive and intensive training and practice.”If it is me Mr Kaure refers to, then I invite him to point out my failures.I am open to scrutiny, by virtue of the public office I hold, but insinuations should not be made about legal services and delivery of justice in this country without any factual information,” the Justice Minister said.She said her remarks had been prompted by a reader’s leader in The Namibian on March 31, in which Alex Kaure said Iivula-Ithana’s response to controversial issues indicated that it was time her two roles were separated and placed with different individuals.Iivula-Ithana said she had always held the view that the two roles should be held by different people, but it did not mean that because one person occupied both roles, these were subsumed.She told the House that while there might be overlaps in performing the functions of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General, in her opinion there were no interferences.”The Attorney General receives legal advice from professionals, acting within the realm of their briefs, and it would be a very courageous Attorney General who would act in disregard of the constitutional function of Attorney General for the mere benefit of a political consideration as Minister of Justice,” she said.Iivula-Ithana noted that she had presided over a period when the Office of the Attorney General was being moved out of the Ministry of Justice to consolidate a professional law office to better service the needs of Government.”Therefore we know that there is cause for concern, but not in the manner and extent published in the article of Mr Kaure,” said Iivula-Ithana.Kaure had said that in his opinion the Attorney General should be someone with deeper understanding of the law through extensive and intensive training and practice.”If it is me Mr Kaure refers to, then I invite him to point out my failures.I am open to scrutiny, by virtue of the public office I hold, but insinuations should not be made about legal services and delivery of justice in this country without any factual information,” the Justice Minister said.