Chancellor of Justice (Finland)

The Chancellor of Justice (Finnish: oikeuskansleri, Swedish: justitiekanslern) is a Finnish government official who supervises authorities', such as cabinet ministers', compliance with the law and advances legal protection of Finnish citizens. The Chancellor investigates complaints against authorities' activities and may also start an investigation of his or her own initiative.[1] The Chancellor attends cabinet meetings to ensure that legal procedures and regulations are followed. The Chancellor has wide-ranging oversight, investigative and prosecutorial powers.

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The Chancellor and his deputy are appointed by the President of Finland. The Chancellor is appointed for life.

The incumbent Chancellor of Justice is Tuomas Pöysti.

History

The Office of the Chancellor of Justice dates back to the 18th century, when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. When Finland was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1809 as an autonomous Grand Duchy, the legal system largely remained the same. The duties of the Chancellor of Justice were given to the Procurator, who assisted the Governor-General in supervising obedience of the law.

A year after Finland had declared its independence in 1917, the title was reverted to Chancellor of Justice. The first Chancellor of Justice was Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, who had served as the Speaker of the Parliament and who was later to become the third President of Finland. In 1919, the post of Parliamentary Ombudsman was created. The Ombudsman and the Chancellor of Justice share many duties.

Duties
Official seal of the Chancellor of Justice
  • supervising the lawfulness of the official acts of the Government and the President of the Republic
  • providing the President, the Government and the Ministries with information and opinions on legal issues
  • supervising that the courts of law, other authorities and civil servants, public employees and other persons obey the law and fulfill their obligations when performing public tasks
  • monitoring the implementation of basic rights and liberties and human rights
  • supervising the conduct of advocates with the Finnish Bar Association

List of Chancellor of Justice
Chancellor of Justice In Office[2]
P. E. Svinhufvud 1917-1918
Axel Fredrik Charpentier 1918–1928
Urho Castrén 1928–1929
Albert von Hellens 1930
Albert Makkonen 1930–1933
Oiva Huttunen 1933–1944
Toivo Tarjanne 1944–1950
Carl Gustaf Möller 1950–1955
Olavi Honka 1956–1961
Antti Hannikainen 1961–1964
Aarne Nuorvala 1964–1965
Jaakko Enäjärvi 1965–1970
Risto Leskinen 1970–1982
Kai Korte 1982–1986
Jorma S. Aalto 1986–1998
Paavo Nikula 1998–2007
Jaakko Jonkka 2007–2017
Risto Hiekkataipale 2017–2018 (acting)
Tuomas Pöysti 2018–

See also

References
  1. "Duties and activities – The office of the chancellor of justice". www.okv.fi.
  2. "Historia – Oikeuskanslerinvirasto". www.okv.fi.
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