Cabinet has approved amendments to the Trust Accounts Act 1996 which will now require legal practitioners who operate trust accounts to submit annual reports to the Chief Registrar of the High Courts, and not the Fiji Law Society.

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed Khiayum said under the Trust Accounts Act, audited trust account reports were submitted to the Fiji Law Society and the Attorney General which were then considered in deciding whether the practicing certificates of legal practitioners would be renewed.

However, following the amendment and under the Legal Practitioners Decree 2009, the responsibility of receiving and scrutinizing the accounts lies with the Chief Registrar now.

The Trust Account Act has also been amended to create separate funds for the Independent Legal Services Commission which will be tasked to deal with all complaints against legal practitioners.

The Act also established a contribution fund made of interests earned on the trust accounts and these amounts are distributed to the Legal Aid Commission and the Law Society.

Through the amendment, the contribution fund will now be distributed with 40% to the Legal Aid Fund, 30% to the Independent Legal Services Commission, 25% to the Judiciary Fund and 5% for the Fidelity Fund and Sayed Khaiyum said this is necessary to enhance transparency and efficiency in proceedings before the various courts in Fiji.