Prosecutor General of Ukraine
The prosecutor general of Ukraine (also procurator general of Ukraine, Ukrainian: Генеральний прокурор України, romanized: Heneralnyi prokuror Ukrainy) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General (Ukrainian: Офіс Генерального прокурора, romanized: Ofis Heneralnoho prokurora). The prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by the president with consent of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament).[4] The prosecutor serves a term of office of six years[5] and may be forced to resign by a vote of no confidence in parliament.[4] The current prosecutor general, since 27 July 2022, is Andriy Kostin.[6]
Agency overview
Закон. Честь. Гідність. (Law. Honour. Dignity.)
15,000 (2017)
- Andriy Kostin (since 27 July 2022)[3], Prosecutor General
The Prosecutor General's Office dates to 1917, established by the fledgling Ukrainian governments following the collapse of the Russian Empire, when the minister of justice held the office of prosecutor general.[7] In 1922, it was reorganized under socialist law after the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became a founding member of the Soviet Union.[7] With adoption of the 1936 Constitution of the Soviet Union, the office became directly subordinated to the Prosecutor General Office of the Soviet Union;[7] this lowered the status of the office, with the prosecutor appointed by the Soviet Prosecutor General and having no government post in the Ukraine SSR.[7] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Prosecutor General Office of Ukraine became an independent agency.[7] The office is directly proscribed in the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine.
The prosecutor general is appointed to office by the president of Ukraine with the consent of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament).[8] The prosecutor is dismissed from office after serving a six-year term, or on order of the president,[8] or the prosecutor may be forced to resign following a vote of no confidence in the Verkhovna Rada.[4][8]
The powers of the office (from January 2017[5]) are to:
The prosecutor general submits an annual report to the Verkhovna Rada about the legal situation in the country.
The prosecutor general creates a collegiate council consisting of the prosecutor general, their first and other deputies, the prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,[nb 1] and other leaders of prosecution agencies.
The prosecutor general office's General Inspectorate is an independent agency established to oversee the actions of the prosecutorial system.[13] Its goals are to modernize the Soviet-era bureaucracy, to enhance inter-agency efficiency and international cooperation, and to fight corruption.[14]
Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Генеральний прокурор України
Six years
Constitution Article 122
Dmytro Markevych (originally) / Viktor Shyshkin (acting)
18 Jan 1918 (originally) / 5 Nov 1991 (post-declaration)
First Deputy