Attorney General of the Union (Brazil)
The Attorney General Office is a cabinet-level position in the Brazilian government charged with advising the Executive Branch and representing the federal government of Brazil in legal proceedings legally known as the Union. It is the institution responsible for the legal representation, supervision and control of the Union and the Government of Federative Republic of Brazil, as well as for the protection of public assets against third parties or Government members. The Attorney General is defined under the Article 131 of the Brazilian Constitution as one of the essential functions of Brazilian judicial administration, along with the roles performed by the judicial branch, the Prosecutor's office, the public defenders and private lawyers. It practices, along with the Attorney General's Office of the National Treasury, the Federal Attorney General's Office and the Attorney General's Office of the Central Bank, public law at the federal level, which gives it the representation of all the powers of the Union in the judicial or extrajudicial sphere. The current Attorney General is Jorge Messias.
Under the constitution, the Attorney General must be at least 35 years old. All Attorneys General within the Office must be bar members in Brazil. The Attorney General of the Union is a member of the Brazilian cabinet, holds the rank of Minister, and is also the head of the Advocacia-Geral da União, which is an essential function and branch of the federal government formed by its own Attorneys.
The attorneys who comprise the AGU are divided into four career paths: the Attorney for the National Treasury, who represent the federal government in tax and financial matters; the Attorney for Brazil, who represent the government in general cases; the Attorney for the Federal Agencies, who represent the federal agencies; and the Attorney for the Central Bank. Their functions are not limited to the Judiciary, and they are also responsible for internal legal control of the government and international legal representation of the Republic.
List of attorneys general
Prosecutor General of Brazil
The prosecutorial duties of the office of the Attorney General were split off to a new Prosecutor General, named Prosecutor General of the Republic, under the Article 4 of the Federal Law No. 73 of 10 February 1993. The Prosecutor General is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The office of Prosecutor General of the Republic is an autonomous agency in charge of criminal prosecution and the defense of society in general, versus the office of the Attorney General, which represents the federal government in legal proceedings.The Prosecutor General of the Republic is the head of the Federal Prosecution Service, which is also an essential function but holds the responsibility for criminal prosecution. Differently from the AGU, the members of the Federal Prosecution Service are called "Federal Prosecutor", and are in charge of criminal prosecution at the first level of the Federal Justice. Despite the title, the Federal Prosecutor do not legally represent the Republic in international issues, which is a responsibility of the members of the AGU.