Lawyers not barred from attesting public documents: Bar Council

Bar Council has clarified that lawyers will continue to be able to attest public documents, despite recent changes to the rules governing the attestation of certificates issued by foreign universities.

The new rules, introduced to curb the use of fake certificates, give the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) sole authority to certify the authenticity of academic certificates validated by the agency.

In a statement, Bar Council said the MQA’s directive applies only to certificates under its mandate and does not affect the powers of lawyers under the Legal Profession Act.

“There is no legal obstacle to lawyers affixing the stamp of authenticity to documents, educational certificates, and certificates issued by official bodies in accordance with the rules,” the statement read.

With the change, only the MQA can attest educational certificates validated by the agency, while all other documents may continue to be attested by licensed lawyers.