Singapore
Prosecution in Singapore
The Attorney-General is the Public Prosecutor — the same constitutional officer who advises the Government — with discretionary control over all criminal prosecutions.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
Prosecution is the work of the Public Prosecutor, an office the Constitution and statute vest in the Attorney-General: the Attorney-General "is the Public Prosecutor and has the control and direction of criminal prosecutions and proceedings" (Criminal Procedure Code section 11), with the constitutional power "to institute, conduct or discontinue any proceedings for any offence" (Article 35(8)). The work is done through the Attorney-General's Chambers, whose Crime Division evaluates the evidence secured by law-enforcement agencies and conducts prosecutions in the courts.
The same idea, explained generally
- What does a prosecutor do?
A prosecutor decides whether a criminal case should be brought, on what charges, and presents it in court. This guide explains the tests applied, the duties owed, and how the role differs between systems.
- Why do justice systems need oversight?
Justice institutions hold coercive powers, often operate out of public view, and make decisions that are hard to reverse. This guide explains the oversight mechanisms built to detect and correct errors, and their limits.
Sources
Sources
Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (2020 Revised Edition)
Singapore Statutes Online — Attorney-General's Chambers · Legislation · 1965 · link verified 2026-07-27
The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore on the official Singapore Statutes Online (2020 Revised Edition, latest amendment Act 31 of 2024, validity date 9 December 2024), read directly; Articles 35, 94 and 98 re-confirmed verbatim (Art. 35(8) re-confirmed by hand at authoring time). Supports Art. 93 (judicial power vested in a single Supreme Court and subordinate courts — a unitary judiciary); Art. 94 (the Supreme Court consists of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, the latter with an Appellate Division and a General Division, from the 2019/2021 restructuring); Art. 98 (judicial tenure and removal only by a tribunal of Supreme Court judges — independence); and Art. 35 — the Attorney-General is appointed from persons qualified as a Supreme Court judge (35(1)), removable only via a judicial tribunal (35(6)), has the duty to advise the Government (35(7)), and has the power "exercisable at his discretion, to institute, conduct or discontinue any proceedings for any offence" (35(8)).
Criminal Procedure Code 2010 (Singapore), s 11
Singapore Statutes Online — Attorney-General's Chambers · Legislation · 2010 · link verified 2026-07-27
The Criminal Procedure Code 2010, section 11, on Singapore Statutes Online. Supports s 11(1) — "The Attorney-General is the Public Prosecutor and has the control and direction of criminal prosecutions and proceedings under this Code or any other written law" — and s 11(3) (Deputy and Assistant Public Prosecutors act under the Attorney-General's general or special authority). Establishes the statutory designation of the Attorney-General as Public Prosecutor.
Attorney-General's Chambers (Singapore) — the Public Prosecutor: overview of functions
Attorney-General's Chambers (Singapore) · Government publication · link verified 2026-07-27
The Attorney-General's Chambers' own site, read directly. Supports that the Attorney-General, as Public Prosecutor (Constitution Art. 35(8); Criminal Procedure Code s 11), has control over all criminal proceedings, and that the AGC Crime Division works by evaluating the evidence secured by law-enforcement agencies to assess whether an offence is disclosed and then conducting prosecutions in the State Courts and the High Court. Establishes the police-investigate / prosecutor-decides-and-conducts division of labour.