# Attorney General of Somalia: the federal prosecution service

> What Somalia's Attorney General does, its legal basis, the cases it handles by type, the state prosecutors, and how to report a crime or get help.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/attorney-general/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## What it does

The Attorney General leads the federal prosecution service. The office decides which crimes to take to court, presents the case for the state, and advises the government on the law. The 2012 constitution names the Attorney General as one of three **independent offices**, with the Auditor General and the Central Bank, and says the federal government and each member state should have one ([Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 114, via Constitute Project](https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Somalia_2012)).

The constitution also gives the office other roles:

- **Reporting:** the Attorney General must send a yearly report to both houses of parliament and to the public ([Article 111J(6)](https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Somalia_2012)).
- **Complaints against officials:** the Ombudsman can pass a complaint about an official, including one suspected of corruption, to the Attorney General to prosecute ([Article 111J(5)](https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Somalia_2012)).
- **Judges:** the Attorney General sits on the body that oversees judges. Under the 2026 constitution that is the Supreme Judicial Council ([Dawan Africa, July 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-cabinet-approves-nominees-to-supreme-judicial-council)).

## The cases it handles

The federal office's case count, published by the national statistics bureau ([SNBS, Somalia Facts and Figures 2024, Table 2.19](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Facts-and-figures-2024.pdf)):

| Case type | Cases | Settled by the office | Settled by courts | Still open |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Property and assets | 860 | 290 | 310 | 260 |
| Killing and assault | 570 | 235 | 160 | 175 |
| Drugs and substances | 333 | 69 | 135 | 129 |
| Gender-based violence | 297 | 55 | 145 | 97 |
| Road traffic | 253 | 80 | 98 | 75 |
| Financial crimes | 212 | 7 | 20 | 185 |
| Human trafficking | 79 | 9 | 24 | 46 |
| Maritime crimes | 41 | 0 | 36 | 5 |
| **All cases** | **2,645** | **28%** | **35%** | **37%** |

Financial crimes are the slowest to close: 185 of 212 were still open. The office reported more than 250 cases of money laundering and terrorist financing, and about $1 million frozen in accounts ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/office-of-the-attorney-general-probes-over-250-cases-freezes-1-million-in-crackdown-on-terror-financing/)).

## Prosecutors in the member states and Somaliland

Each member state and [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) has its own attorney general's office. Cases they reported, and the share closed ([SNBS, Facts and Figures 2024, Table 2.20](https://nbs.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Facts-and-figures-2024.pdf)):

- Somaliland: 28,563 cases, 97 percent closed
- [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/): 4,440 cases, 90 percent closed
- South West: 967 cases, 79 percent closed
- [Galmudug](/en/states/galmudug/): 410 cases, 84 percent closed
- [Jubaland](/en/states/jubaland/): 183 cases, 74 percent closed
- [Hirshabelle](/en/states/hirshabelle/): 63 cases, 67 percent closed

These are cases recorded by each office. They show how much each system records, which is not the same as how much crime there is. Many disputes in all areas are settled through xeer and elders instead. See [Xeer: Somali customary law](/en/society/xeer-customary-law/).

## Who leads it

[Suleiman](/en/society/saleebaan-habar-gidir/) Mohamed Mahmoud is Attorney General. In January 2026 he chaired a two-day review of the office's 2025 work and its plans for 2026, with all prosecution departments ([SONNA, 27 January 2026](https://sonna.so/en/office-of-the-attorney-general-presents-2025-achievements-and-2026-plans/)).

In November 2026 the office said a ruling by five judges of the Supreme Court's Constitutional Division, on the end of the terms of the President and parliament, had no legal effect ([Dawan Africa, November 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-swears-in-new-supreme-court-chief-amid-dispute-over-governments-term); [The Standard](https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/africa/article/2001561886/somalia-ag-rejects-supreme-court-decision-on-president-mohamuds-term-end)). See [Somalia's courts](/en/institutions/courts-and-judiciary/).

## How to use it

- **Report a crime:** go to the nearest police station, which passes cases to the prosecutor. In Mogadishu, cases go to the Banadir courts.
- **Corruption by an official:** report it to the [Anti-Corruption Commission](/en/institutions/independent-commissions/), which can pass it on for prosecution.

## Its legal basis

Article 114 and Article 111J of the 2012 Provisional Constitution, as amended in 2024 and 2026; the attorney general laws of each member state and of Somaliland.

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