Other correspondence

Requests for application of powers under Article 121 Judiciary Organisation Act

The Procurator General received two applications in late 2023 requesting that he exercise his powers under Article 121 of the Judiciary Organisation Act. Pursuant to that provision, the Procurator General in particular ensures the enforcement and implementation of legal requirements at the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal and the District Courts. The Procurator General replied to these two letters during the reporting year, as well as to a similar request received in early 2024.

One answer was that Article 121 of the Judiciary Organisation Act does not confer any special powers on the Procurator General in connection with this task, including to intervene in individual court cases. To the extent that specific cases arise that give rise to the involvement of the Procurator General in the context of this task, such involvement may, for example, consist of conducting consultations in order to contribute to improvements in the courts. In the cases presented, the Procurator General saw no evidence of such involvement.

Other letters

The Procurator General receives many letters in the context of his special duties, such as the external complaints regulation and instituting cassation in the interest of the law. The Procurator General receives other letters as well every year. The writers of those letters present various questions and problems to the Procurator General in the hope that he has an answer or a solution.

The letters include reports of criminal offences against persons or agencies and/or requests for prosecution. There are also letters with requests to intervene in a case or to assume responsibility for adjudicating it, or to set aside a judgment. In addition, there are requests for legal advice. Occasionally, a letter writer wants to have a discussion with the Procurator General about the interpretation of specific legal terminology used in a judgment. Most of these letters concern matters in which the Procurator General has no duties or powers that would enable him to be of service to the letter writer.

In 2024, the Procurator General received 35 of these letters, which is less than the previous year (44). All but two of these letters were answered in 2024. In addition, two letters from 2023 were answered in early 2024.