SINGAPORE: The Attorney-General does not hold political office and has independent prosecutorial discretion that is protected by the Constitution, Senior Minister State for Law Edwin Tong said in Parliament on Friday .
"He is arguably more powerful than High Court judge, as his exercise of discretion is done in private and ," she said.Ms Lim suggested that the roles be split"so the person who is public prosecutor is not the same person taking the Government's instructions in non-criminal matters". “The Constitutional safeguards in Singapore ensure that the Attorney-General is protected from such pressure and allows him to discharge both his roles as Public Prosecutor as well as the Government’s legal advisor without fear or favour,” he added.
In these jurisdictions, Mr Tong said officers in charge of prosecutions are appointed solely by a government minister. “In some of the other mentioned jurisdictions, the requirements for removal are considerably less stringent,” he added. “The Government fully agrees that public confidence is important,” Mr Tong said. “And because of the way we have built up our institutions, public confidence in our institutions is high. Our institutions work well and have worked well.”