KINLEY KHANDU CHODEN | Thimphu
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) handled 1,014 cases during the 2025–2026 reporting period, as the government’s demand for legal services expanded across criminal prosecution, civil disputes, legislation, international agreements and emerging areas of law.
According to the OAG’s Annual Report 2025–2026, the Royal Bhutan Police referred the largest share of cases, with 955 cases, followed by the Anti-Corruption Commission with 14 cases and other government agencies with 6 cases. A further 39 cases involved arbitration, mediation and litigation matters.
Of the total cases, 366 were concluded and closed, while 260 were under trial and 263 were under review. Another 111 cases were returned to referring agencies and 14 had been appealed before higher courts.
The report states that cases were returned to agencies for reasons including the need for further investigation or evidence, procedural lapses, confusion between civil and criminal matters, and failure to meet the required public-interest threshold.
Drug-related offences accounted for 389 cases during the reporting period.
Of these, 279 involved illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, while 74 were substance abuse cases and 35 involved cannabis-related trafficking.
Among the trafficking cases, SP+ capsules were involved in 220 cases, followed by brown sugar and heroin in 31 cases and N10 tablets in 28 cases. The report classified 284 cases as involving soft drugs and 31 as involving hard drugs.
The OAG has also strengthened its institutional response to drug-related offences. During the reporting period, it established a Drug Prevention and Prosecution Division following a directive from the National Drug Task Force.
The division is responsible for specialised prosecution, legal expertise and coordination with relevant agencies. Its proposed structure provides for a chief and 14 attorneys.
The Office also established an Arbitration, Mediation and Litigation Division to strengthen its capacity to deal with complex disputes and provide specialised services in alternative dispute resolution and civil litigation.
The OAG’s work extended beyond prosecution, with its Property and Judgment Enforcement Division handling 1,101 court judgments during the reporting period.
The division achieved an enforcement rate of 54 percent and recovered Nu 36.65 million, which was restituted to victims, the government and financial institutions.
The division also investigated the property of 26 convicts, conducted one sealed-bid auction and took administrative action against 13 individuals.
In addition, 19 individuals were referred to community service under the supervision of local leaders and other stakeholders, while 41 were referred for substance-use disorder treatment at The PEMA Rehabilitation Centre.
The report identifies human-resource capacity as one of the major challenges facing the legal system.
It says demand for legal services is outpacing available staffing, particularly as legal matters become more specialised. Areas identified as requiring greater expertise include financial and corporate law, digital governance, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data protection, environmental law, public international law, legal drafting and legal research.
According to the report, the situation has contributed to heavier workloads, case backlogs and longer turnaround times.
The OAG has taken steps to strengthen its workforce. Six newly recruited legal professionals joined the legal service in January 2026 and were assigned to government agencies. In June, the Office recruited 10 new attorneys on three-year consolidated contracts, who were placed across different divisions.
The Office is also proposing longer-term measures, including strategic workforce planning, additional recruitment, better deployment of existing legal professionals and the establishment of dedicated legal divisions within government agencies.
The report also proposes creating a Legal Research Unit within the OAG to strengthen evidence-based legal advice and respond to emerging areas of law.
Alongside its legal work, the OAG continued its legal advocacy programme targeting women, girls, youth, vulnerable groups and remote communities.
The programme had covered all 20 dzongkhags by early 2025. During the reporting period, advocacy sessions in Thimphu, Merak and Sakteng, Gelephu Mindfulness City and Jomotsangkha reached 857 participants.
The report notes that participants particularly highlighted the relevance of cyber protection, including awareness of online safety, cybercrime and digital privacy.
The OAG’s latest report therefore points to a legal system dealing with an increasingly broad and specialised workload—from drug prosecution and judgment enforcement to legislation, international agreements, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and environmental law.
While the Office has expanded its workforce and established specialised divisions, the report acknowledges that demand for legal services continues to outpace available human resources, making recruitment, specialisation and institutional strengthening key areas of focus.
