Chancellor of Justice (Finland)


The chancellor of justice 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. The chancellor attends cabinet meetings to ensure that legal procedures and regulations are followed. The chancellor has wide-ranging oversight, investigative and prosecutorial powers.
The Chancellor and a deputy are appointed by the President of Finland. The Chancellor is appointed for life.
The incumbent Chancellor of Justice is Tuomas Pöysti.
WWW okv.fi/fi

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 functions of the Chancellor of Justice, however, were assigned to the procurator, who assisted the Governor-General in supervising obedience to the law.
A year after Finland declared its independence in 1917, the title and office of Chancellor of Justice was re-established. The first incumbent of this restored institution 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

List of Chancellors

Deputy Chancellors of JusticeIn Office
Knut Immanuel Savonius1918–1926
Urho Castrén1926–1928
Eino Johannes Ahla1928–1933
Carl Gustaf Möller1933–1950
Antti Juhana Hannikainen1950–1956
Eero Johannes Manner1956–1965
Reino Markus Lindroos1965–1971
Jorma S. Aalto1971–1974
Antti Okko1974–1981
Jukka Pasanen1981–2001
Jaakko Jonkka2001–2007
Mikko Puumalainen2007–2014
Risto Hiekkataipale2014–2017
Kimmo Hakonen2017
Mikko Puumalainen2018–present