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{
    "id": 804995,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/804995/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 60,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for that clarification. As a Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, we are seeking that this Bill is passed. It will ensure that the functions of the county attorney are provided for, the discharge of duties and exercise of powers by the county attorney. Yesterday, we agreed that the biggest challenge with our counties is the pending bills. One of them that is being misused is the outsourcing of legal services. This Bill creates the offices of the County Attorney, County Solicitor General and county legal advisor. Clause 9 of the Bill states: “No criminal proceeding or civil suit shall be brought against the County Attorney, the County Solicitor, County Legal Counsel or any other officer in the Office in respect of any proceedings in a court of law or in the course of discharging of the functions of the County Attorney under this Act.” This is to ensure that they are protected from any legal proceedings when they are done with their work or no longer in office. As a Committee, we felt that it is important that we have that provision so that it does not haunt us in future. Clause 10 is on the status of the County Attorney. I agree that we are not delocalizing the Attorney-General’s office. We are just ensuring that devolution works. So, in using the example of the Attorney-General’s office, the rules that have been provided in the Constitution is that the Attorney-General is an ex-officio member in the Cabinet. That is why in this Clause, we have provided that the County Attorney is in the same rank orstatus with a County Executive Committee (CEC) member. However, the recruitment of the same person will be done by the County Public Service Board (CPSB) in consultation with the Governor so as to eliminate administrative issues. I know it would have been appropriate that way because these are the people that will legally advise the county. We looked at the functions under Clause 4 and then decided that Clause 10 be deleted to avoid conflict of interest. It was also to put the office into the existing structure The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}