General Prosecutor of Ukraine

Prosecution of Ukraine
Agency overview
Formed December 1, 1991
Jurisdiction Constitution of Ukraine
Headquarters Kyiv
Motto "Закон. Честь. Гідність." (Ukrainian: "Law. Honour. Dignity.")
Employees 15,000 (2014)
Agency executive Viktor Shokin, Attorney General
Website gp.gov.ua
General Prosecutor of Ukraine
Генеральний прокурор України
Incumbent
Viktor Shokin
since February 10, 2015
Appointer President
with Supreme Council advice and consent
Term length Five years
Constituting instrument Constitution of Ukraine, Article 122
Inaugural holder Dmytro Markevych (originally) / Viktor Shishkin
Formation January 18, 1918 (originally) / November 5, 1991
Deputy First Deputy
Website www.gp.gov.ua
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The General Prosecutor 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 Vitaly Yarema.[1] There are seven more additional deputies to the General Prosecutor.

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 which results in their resignation from office.

Duties and powers

Both in theory and in practice, the Prosecutor General and their 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 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, their first and other deputies, the Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARK), and other leaders of prosecution agencies.

Supporting agencies

List of General Prosecutors of Soviet Ukraine

In the early years of the Ukrainian SSR, the office of Prosecutor General was merged with the Minister of Justice until spring 1936.

# General Prosecutor of the Ukrainian SSR Name
1 June 1922 — 1927 Mykola Skrypnyk
2 1927 — 1930 Vasyl Poraiko
3 1930 — 1933 Vasyl Polyakov
4 1933 — 1935 Mykhailo Mykhailyk
5 1935 — 1936 Arkadiy Kiselyov
6 spring 1936 Grigoriy Zhelyeznogorskiy

List of prosecutor of Soviet Ukraine

From 1937 to 1991 the republican prosecution office of Ukraine was subordinated to the Prosecutor General of the Soviet Union. Until 1937 the general prosecutor of Ukraine was appointed by the higher bodies of state power of Ukraine.

# Prosecutor of the Ukrainian SSR Name
1 1938 — 1944 Leonid Yachenin
2 June 1944 — 1953 Roman Rudenko
3 August 1953 — February 1963 Denys Panasyuk
4 1963 — 1983 Fedir Hlukh
5 January 1983 — February 1990 Petro Osypenko

List of General Prosecutors

This list shows prosecutors of independent Ukraine. In the absence of the General Prosecutor the office is headed by their First Deputy as the acting General Prosecutor.

# 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
act April 24, 1998 — July 17, 1998 Bohdan Ferents
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 — February 22, 2014 Viktor Pshonka
comm February 22, 2014 — February 24, 2014 Oleh Makhnitsky[2]
act February 24, 2014[3] — June 18, 2014[4] Oleh Makhnitsky
12 June 19, 2014[1] — February 11, 2015 Vitaly Yarema
13 February 11, 2015 — Viktor Shokin

Legend:

Ranks

Shoulder Insignia
Rank Jurist, 3rd class Jurist, 2nd class Jurist, 1st class Junior Councillor of Justice Councillor of Justice Senior Councillor of Justice State Councillor
of Justice, 3rd class		 State Councillor
of Justice, 2nd class		 State Councillor
of Justice, 1st class		 State Councillor
of Justice of Ukraine

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 MPs agree to Yarema's appointment as prosecutor general, Interfax-Ukraine (19 June 2014)
  2. ↑ On appointment of Makhnitsky O.I. the Commissioner to monitor the activities of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. RESOLUTION of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine № 760-VII. February 22, 2014
  3. ↑ On appointment of O.Makhnitsky as acting General Prosecutor of Ukraine. DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE № 91/2014. February 24, 2014
  4. ↑ Ukrainian president dismisses Makhnitsky as acting prosecutor general, Interfax-Ukraine (18 June 2014)

External links