The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Drug-related offences remained the largest share of prosecutions as the Office recovered Nu. 36.65 million through judgment enforcement
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) handled 1,014 cases during the 2025–26 financial year while recovering Nu. 36.65 million through judgment enforcement, but says growing legal complexity and increasing demand for legal services are stretching its existing workforce and institutional capacity.
According to the OAG’s Annual Report from 1st July 2025 to 30th June 2026, the Royal Bhutan Police remained the largest source of referrals, accounting for 955 of the 1,014 cases received during the reporting period.
The Anti-Corruption Commission referred 14 cases, other government agencies referred six cases, and the Office also received 39 arbitration, mediation, and litigation matters from various agencies.
Of the total caseload, 366 cases were successfully concluded and closed, 14 were appealed to higher courts, 263 remained under review, 111 were returned to referring agencies, and 260 cases were under trial at the end of the reporting period.
The report stated that cases were returned mainly for further investigation, collection of additional evidence, procedural lapses, confusion between civil and criminal matters, or because they did not meet the legal threshold of public interest.
Drug-related offences continued to dominate the OAG’s criminal workload, accounting for 389 cases during the year.
Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (ITNDPS) constituted the largest category with 279 cases, of which 220 involved SP+ capsules. Brown sugar and heroin accounted for 31 cases, while N10 tablets were involved in 28 cases.
The Office also recorded 74 substance abuse cases and 35 cannabis trafficking cases.
Overall, soft drugs accounted for 284 cases, substantially exceeding the 31 cases involving hard drugs.
Beyond prosecutions, the Office reported significant progress in enforcing court judgments through its Property and Judgment Enforcement Division (PJED).
During the reporting period, the Division handled 1,101 court judgments, achieved an enforcement rate of 54 percent, and recovered Nu. 36.65 million, which was restituted to the government, financial institutions, and victims in accordance with court orders.
Quantities of seized drugs were also disposed of, including 76,994 SP+ capsules, 547 N10 tablets, 15.67 kg of brown sugar, and 2.19633 kg of cannabis and its derivatives.
The report also highlights additional enforcement measures undertaken by the Division.
The Office investigated the properties of 26 convicts, conducted one sealed-bid auction, took administrative action against 13 individuals, referred 19 individuals to community service, and sent 41 individuals to The PEMA Rehab for treatment of substance use disorders.
Apart from prosecution and enforcement, the OAG continued to provide legal advice across the government.
During the financial year, the Department of Legal Services rendered 133 legal opinions covering legislative proposals, international agreements, procurement and contract matters, taxation, constitutional interpretation, land administration, agriculture, public finance, and other legal issues.
The legal opinions were provided through the Drafting and Review Division, International Affairs Division, Finance and Corporate Division, and Legal Service Division.
Among the major legislative works undertaken during the year were reviews and legal opinions on proposed amendments to the Civil Aviation Act of Bhutan 2016 and Copyright Act 2001, the Renewable Energy Tax Exemption Bill 2026, the Insolvency and Rehabilitation Bill 2026, and the proposed Surface Transport Bill and Agriculture Bill, including the review and harmonization of the Civil and Criminal Procedure Code.
The Office also led a national project reviewing 16 environmental and climate-related laws to improve consistency and identify legal gaps.
Despite these achievements, the report states that the Office faces increasing institutional challenges as legal matters become more specialized and technologically complex.
The report notes a growing demand for expertise in financial and corporate law, digital governance, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data protection, environmental law, public international law, legislative drafting, and legal research.
It states that strengthening specialized legal knowledge and institutional capacity is becoming essential to provide timely and effective legal services.
The Office also indicates that demand for legal services is outpacing available manpower, resulting in heavier workloads, case backlogs, and longer turnaround times.
It further notes that many government agencies still lack dedicated legal divisions, forcing them to rely on external legal advice, which can lead to delays, inconsistent legal interpretation, and greater legal risks.
The report also identifies the need to strengthen legal research capacity and acknowledges that efforts to cluster legal services have been constrained by a shortage of legal professionals in the country.
To address these challenges, the OAG says its way forward will focus on building specialized legal expertise through dedicated practice groups, regular skills assessments, professional training, and stronger partnerships with national and international institutions.
It also plans to recruit additional legal professionals and support staff, establish dedicated legal divisions across government agencies led by Chief Legal Officers, create a dedicated Legal Research Unit within the OAG, and work with relevant agencies to improve workforce planning and address shortages of legal professionals.
