General Prosecutor of Ukraine

General Prosecutor of Ukraine
Генеральний прокурор України
Incumbent
Viktor Pshonka
since November 4, 2010
Appointer President of Ukraine
upon acceptance of Verkhovna Rada
Term length Duration of the presidential term (5 years) or less due to earlier resignation or dismissal by the President
Inaugural holder Dmytro Markevych (originally) / Viktor Shishkin
Formation January 18, 1918 (originally) / November 5, 1991
Succession None; resignation or removal upon the vote of no confidence from Verkhovna Rada
Website www.gp.gov.ua
Ukraine

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The Prosecutor General of Ukraine (also Attorney General of Ukraine, Ukrainian: Генеральний прокурор України) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (Генеральна прокуратура України). The term of authority of the Prosecutor is five years. The office is currently headed by Viktor Pshonka, while Renat Kuzmin is his First Deputy. There are seven more additional deputies to the General Prosecutor.

Contents

Definition

The Office of the Prosecutor General is entrusted with:

  1. prosecution in court on behalf of the State;
  2. representation of the interests of a citizen or of the State in court in cases determined by law;
  3. supervision of the observance of laws by bodies that conduct detective and search activity, inquiry and pre-trial investigation;
  4. supervision of the observance of laws in the execution of judicial decisions in criminal cases, and also in the application of other measures of coercion related to the restraint of personal liberty of citizens.

The Prosecutor General is appointed to office by the President of Ukraine with the consent of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament). The Prosecutor is dismissed from office by the President. The Verkhovna Rada may express no confidence in the Prosecutor that results in his or her resignation from office.

Duties and powers

Both in theory and in practice, the Prosecutor General and his/her office wield considerable power. For instance, only the Prosecutor General and the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Ukraine may file requests to the Verkhovna Rada to withhold the immunity of deputies from detainment or arrest.

On the annual basis the General Prosecutor has to report to the Verkhovna Rada about the legal situation in the country.

The General Prosecutor creates a collegiate council consisting out of the General Prosecutor, his first and other deputies, the Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARK), and other leaders of prosecution agencies.

Supporting agencies

List of the General Prosecutors

The list shows prosecutors of the independent Ukraine. In the absence of the General Prosecutor (GP) the office is headed by his First Deputy as the acting GP.

# General Prosecutor of Ukraine Name
1 September 4, 1991 — October 21, 1993 Viktor Shyshkin
2 October 21, 1993 — October 19, 1995 Vladyslav Datsiuk
3 October 19, 1995 — July 22, 1997 Hryhoriy Vorsinov
act July 22, 1997 — April 24, 1998 Oleh Lytvak
April 24, 1998 — July 17, 1998 none
4 July 17, 1998 — April 30, 2002 Mykhailo Potebenko
April 30, 2002 — July 6, 2002 none
5 July 6, 2002 — October 29, 2003 Sviatoslav Piskun
October 29, 2003 — November 18, 2003 none
6 November 18, 2003 — December 9, 2004 Hennadiy Vasylyev
December 9, 2004 — December 10, 2004 none
7 December 10, 2004 — October 14, 2005 Sviatoslav Piskun
October 14, 2005 — November 4, 2005 none
8 November 4, 2005 — April 26, 2007 Oleksandr Medvedko
9 April 26, 2007 — May 24, 2007 Sviatoslav Piskun
act May 24, 2007 — June 1, 2007 Viktor Shemchuk
10 June 1, 2007 — November 3, 2010 Oleksandr Medvedko
11 November 4, 2010 — present Viktor Pshonka

See also

External links