The Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to approve the appointment of 32 State Counsel to the Attorney General’s (AG) Department by next week, amid concerns over vacancies in the department’s State Counsel cadre, with staff capacity gaps placing a massive caseload on each prosecutor.

PSC Secretary W.H.M.M.C.K. Dayaratne told The Sunday Morning that there had been no delay on the commission’s part in processing matters concerning the AG’s Department, adding that the 32 appointments were the only outstanding matter before the PSC.

“There are no delays in approvals. We can give the approval for that by next week,” Dayaratne said.

She added that other matters submitted by the department, including promotions involving Deputy Solicitors General, Senior Deputy Solicitors General, and Additional Solicitors General, had already been processed and approved.

Dayaratne said that the 32 appointments were intended to fill existing State Counsel vacancies and expressed confidence that the department’s immediate staffing concerns would ease once the appointments were finalised.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the AG’s Department told The Sunday Morning that the department had initially faced 77 vacancies in the State Counsel cadre. “We had 77 vacancies for State Counsel. We have just taken 32, but we are waiting for the PSC to approve their appointments,” the official said.

However, the department could face a further shortage in the State Counsel cadre, with 37 serving State Counsel due to be promoted as Senior State Counsel.