An amendment has been proposed to the Legal Profession Act to restructure the Bar Council of the Maldives to include only lawyers. The amendment was submitted by Parliamentarian Hussain Shareef. The first reading of the bill has now been heard in Parliament.
The Bar Council is made up of seven members, including the Attorney General (AG), as per the Legal Profession Act. However, the amendment proposed to include only lawyers in the Bar Council without the AG. The Amendment states that the Bar Council will consist of a president, vice-president, and members elected from among the lawyers.
The purpose of the amendment is to provide the Bar Council with complete independence. It was noted that the act aims to let affairs of the lawyers be arranged by representatives elected on behalf of the lawyers.
Additionally, the amendment also includes the necessary amendment to the law to allow official agencies and registered educational institutions to affix their stamps of origin and conformity to documents issue. Currently, only lawyers authorised by the Bar Council can attest or stamp conformity with the original.
The Legal Profession Act was enacted in 2019 with the aim of creating a separate independent body called the Bar Council to protect the rights and privileges of lawyers working in the Maldives. It also aims to regulate all matters relating to the practice of law.