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Prosecutorial head of Ukrainian legal system From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Генеральна прокуратура України | |
 Seal of the prosecutor general | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1917[1] June 1922[1] (reorganization) March 1936[1] (reorganization) 5 November 1991 (reorganization) |
| Jurisdiction | Constitution of Ukraine |
| Headquarters | 13/15, Riznytska st, Kyiv[2] |
| Motto | Закон. Честь. Гідність. (Law. Honour. Dignity.) |
| Employees | 15,000 (2017) |
| Agency executive |
|
| Website | Official website |
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[when?] 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]
As of 21 December 2019[update][15]
 | This section's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. (January 2023) |
The post of Prosecutor General of Ukraine was first established in 1917, following the dissolution of the Russian Empire. When the Ukrainian People's Republic was formed – after Ukraine declared its independence from the Russian Republic due to the Bolshevik's aggression – the post was held by the minister of justice.[1]
| No. | Term[1] | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1917–1918 | Dmytro Markovych |
| 2 | Serhiy Shelukhin | |
| 3 | Mykhailo Chubynskyi | |
| 4 | Oleksiy Romanov | |
| 5 | Andriy Viazlov | |
| 6 | Viktor Reinbot |
After the occupation of Ukraine by Bolsheviks in June 1922, the Prosecutor's Office of the Ukrainian SSR was established.[1][16] The prosecutor general was appointed by the Ukrainian government and remained merged with the minister of justice until the 1936 Constitution of the Soviet Union came into force, at which point the republican prosecution office of Ukraine was subordinated to the prosecutor general of the USSR.
| No. | Term[1] | Name | Official title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1922–1927 | Mykola Skrypnyk | Procurator General |
| 2 | 1927–1930 | Vasyl Poraiko | Procurator General |
| 3 | 1930–1933 | Vasiliy Polyakov | Procurator General |
| 4 | 1933–1935 | Mikhail Mikhailik | Procurator General |
| 5 | 1935–1936 | Arkadiy Kiselyov | Procurator General |
| 6 | 1936 | Grigoriy Zhelyeznogorskiy | Procurator General |
| 7 | 1938–1944 | Leonid Yachenin | Procurator |
| 8 | 1944–1953 | Roman Rudenko | Procurator |
| 9 | 1953–1963 | Denys Panasyuk | Procurator |
| 10 | 1963–1983 | Fedir Hlukh | Procurator |
| 11 | 1983–1990 | Petro Osypenko | Procurator |
| Prosecutor General of Ukraine Генеральний прокурор України | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Appointer | President of Ukraine with parliamentary consent |
| Term length | Six years |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution Article 122[citation needed] |
| Inaugural holder | Dmytro Markevych (originally) / Viktor Shyshkin (acting) |
| Formation | 18 Jan 1918 (originally)[citation needed] / 5 Nov 1991 (post-declaration)[citation needed] |
| Deputy | First Deputy |
| Website | www.gp.gov.ua |
Following Ukrainian independence in 1991, the prosecutor general wielded considerable power[9] as a legacy of the Soviet Union state prosecutor's office.[9] Many of the office's functions were expanded in 1991,[9] but in 2016 the powers of the office were decreased and limited.[9]
Prior to January 2017, the term of authority of the prosecutor was five years.[5] Since January 2017 this was increased to six years.[5] This list below shows prosecutors of independent Ukraine. In the absence of the prosecutor general, the office is headed by their first deputy as the acting prosecutor general.
| No. | Prosecutor General of Ukraine | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Sep 1991 – 21 Oct 1993 | Viktor Shyshkin |
| 2 | 21 Oct 1993 – 19 Oct 1995 | Vladyslav Datsiuk |
| 3 | 19 Oct 1995 – 22 Jul 1997 | Hryhoriy Vorsinov |
| act | 22 Jul 1997 – 24 Apr 1998 | Oleh Lytvak |
| act | 24 Apr – 17 Jul 1998 | Bohdan Ferents |
| 4 | 17 Jul 1998 – 30 May 2002 | Mykhailo Potebenko |
| 30 May 30 – 6 Jul 2002 | unknown | |
| 5 | 6 Jul 2002 – 29 Oct 2003 | Sviatoslav Piskun |
| 29 Oct – 8 Nov 2003 | unknown | |
| 6 | 8 Nov 2003 – 9 Dec 2004 | Hennadiy Vasylyev |
| 7 | 10 Dec 2004 – 14 Oct 2005 | Sviatoslav Piskun |
| 14 Oct – 4 Nov 2005 | unknown | |
| 8 | 4 Nov 2005 – 26 Apr 2007 | Oleksandr Medvedko |
| 9 | 26 Apr – 24 May 2007 | Sviatoslav Piskun |
| act | 24 May – 1 Jun 2007 | Viktor Shemchuk |
| 10 | 1 Jun 2007 – 3 Nov 2010 | Oleksandr Medvedko |
| 11 | 4 Nov 2010 – 22 Feb 2014 | Viktor Pshonka |
| comm | 22–24 Feb 2014 | Oleh Makhnitsky[18] |
| act | 24 Feb[19] – 18 Jun 2014[20] | Oleh Makhnitsky(1) |
| 12 | 19 Jun 2014[21] – 11 Feb 2015 | Vitaly Yarema |
| 13 | 11 Feb 2015[22] – 29 Mar 2016[23](2) | Viktor Shokin |
| act | 29 Mar(3) – 12 May 2016 | Yuriy Sevruk |
| 14 | 12 May 2016 – 29 Aug 2019[24] | Yuriy Lutsenko |
| 15 | 29 Aug 2019 – 5 Mar 2020[24] | Ruslan Riaboshapka |
| act | 6–17 Mar 2020 | Viktor Chumak |
| 16 | 17 Mar 2020 – 17 Jul 2022 | Iryna Venediktova[3] |
| act | 17–27 Jul 2022 | Oleksiy Symonenko[25] |
| 17 | 27 Jul 2022 - incumbent (Kostin tended in his resignation on 22 October 2024, but parliament has yet to approve this resignation[26]) | Andriy Kostin[17] |
Notes:
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