The Swedish Prosecution Authority ( sv, Åklagarmyndigheten) is the principal agency in
Sweden responsible for public prosecutions. It is a wholly independent organisation; not dependent on the courts or the police, and although it is organized under the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
it operates independently and any
ministerial interference in cases is unconstitutional. It is headed by the
Prosecutor-General of Sweden The Prosecutor-General of Sweden ( sv, Riksåklagaren) is the department head for the Swedish Prosecution Authority responsible for the daily operations, the highest-ranked prosecutor in the country, and the only public prosecutor in the Supreme Cou ...
.
History
The Swedish prosecution service underwent a major reform in 1965. Prior to this, the police and prosecution were organized under the same roof. Following the reform, the
Swedish police, the
courts
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accor ...
and the prosecution service became clearly defined, separate entities. In 1996, there was another major overhaul of the organization, merging smaller local authorities into six regional public prosecutors, all under an attorney general. In 2005, these six regional authorities merged into a single agency, creating the Swedish Prosecution Authority.
Notable cases
In 2019, the Swedish Prosecution Authority reopened an investigation into rape allegations against
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...
founder
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks came to international attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army i ...
, first made in 2010, and filed a request for his arrest.
Shortly after the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish Prosecution Authority opened a preliminary investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine to secure evidence as early as possible that could be used in Swedish or international courts.
Criticism
The current prosecutor-general (), Petra Lundh, was accused of favouritism after it was discovered that she had accommodated the hiring of old colleagues after she was appointed.
See also
*
Crime in Sweden
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Law enforcement agencies of Sweden