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As the Departmental Head, the Secretary is also the Chief Accounting Officer under (Public Finance Management Act & Public Services Management Act) and is responsible for the effective management and administration of the Department. The support received in this capacity as Secretary is through Corporate Services Heads and Community Justice Heads for Justice Administration and Deputy Secretary (JA & SS).

A Senior Management Team (SMT) comprising the Deputy Secretaries and all Branch Heads assists the Secretary in the management of the Department.

In circumstance where the Minister is not a lawyer admitted to practice in Papua New Guinea then Secretary for Justice assumes the role as the Attorney General.

The Secretary as a senior government lawyer is also responsible for providing legal advice and opinion on all matters of law to the Government through the Minister and Attorney General.

Through the Secretary’s Office, the Secretary directs the operations and administration of the entire department and ensures that both legal advice and Justice services are delivered to every persons, State institutional and private sector institutions in a timely and cost effective manner.

The Secretary is solely responsible for all disciplinary matters of the Department.

The Top Management Branch comprises the Secretary’s Office, two Deputy Secretaries, the Legal Policy and Governance Branch and the Management Services Branch. It is largely responsible for ensuring the overall efficient and effective delivery of government’s legal and justice services under the department’s Mission Statement. In that context, cost for certain operational and management aspects of the Department have traditionally been borne by the Top Management Branch, as follows:

Self-Accounting System
Lawyer’s Practicing Certificates
Library Services
Training
Maintenance of Assets
Assets Replacement
Maintenance (DOW)
Overseas Travel
Design and Construction.
Devolution of Powers from the Department of Personnel Management

Under the recent restructure these have been streamlined:

Phased implementation of the DJAG Structure overtime
Oversee implementation of White Paper Policy
Establishment of a Restorative Justice Unit to coordinate and monitor all restorative justice work between relevant government agencies, churches, civil society organisations.

GOALS

To protect the interest of the State through timely, correct and cost-effective legal services
To provide timely, independent, effective and efficient prosecution services to the State
To provide timely, available and accessible legal assistance
To provide all members of the community with access to a community justice system and processes for settlement of disputes relating to land
To provide transparent, timely and cost-effective trusteeship of estates of deceased and insane persons and insolvent estates
To provide efficient and responsive law reform services
To strengthen the department’s capacity to meet its responsibilities to the State and the people of Papua New Guinea.

Contacts

Mr. Peter Hairoi – Executive Officer to the Secretary for Justice 
Phone 301 2977 
Email : peter.hairoi@justice.gov.pg 

Ms Miriam Mantu – Publicity Officer
Phone 323 0138/ 341 3863
Fax – 323 3661/325 9712
Email: miriam.mantu@justice.gov.pg

Secretary for Justice & Attorney General

Dr. Eric Kwa

Dr. Eric Kwa was appointed Attorney General of Papua New Guinea in December 2020. In November 2018 he was appointed the Secretary of the Department of Justice and Attorney General of Papua New Guinea. He currently holds both positions. He was formerly the Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Papua New Guinea Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CL&RC), a position he held for 7 years.

Prior to his posting as Secretary for CL&RC, he was a Professor of Law at the University of Papua New Guinea and a former Dean of the Law School. ...

Deputy Secretaries

MiriamKias

Miriam Kias
Acting Deputy Secretary
Legal Policy & Sate Legal Services.

Ms. Miriam Kias is the current Acting Deputy Secretary, Legal Policy & State Legal Services. She is from Eastern Highlands Province and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law, LLB(Hons) from the University of Papua New Guinea and a Masters of Law specialising in Government and Commercial Law LL.M (ANU) from the Australian National University. She was formerly Principal Legal Officer (Team Leader) of the Police Team in Solicitor General Office.

Miriam Kias holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law with Honours (LL.B(Hon)) from the University of Papua New Guinea, and a Master of Laws specializing in Government and Commercial Law (LL.M) from the Australian National University.

Wilma Marakan
Acting Deputy Secretary
Corporate Affairs & General Administration

Josephine Advent-Pitmur

Deputy Secretary for Justice Administration
LLB (UPNG), LLM (Merits, University of Melbourne)

Holds a Master of Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne, Australia and a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of Papua New Guinea(UPNG).

Department of Justice and Attorney General Here Now