The Swedish Prosecution Authority () is the principal agency in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
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 justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
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 () 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 Court of Sweden, Supr ...
.
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 Swedish Police Authority () is the national police, police force (''Polisen'') of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under Municipalities of Sweden, local ...
, the
courts
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law.
Courts gene ...
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
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of News leak, leaks from Chels ...
, first made in 2010, and filed a request for his arrest.
[John Stonestreet (20 May 2019)]
Swedish prosecutor files request for Assange's arrest over rape allegation
''Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
''.
See also
*
Crime in Sweden
Crime in Sweden is defined by the Swedish Penal Code () and in other Law of Sweden, Swedish laws and statutory instruments.
According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, the number of reported crimes in Sweden has increase ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Law enforcement agencies of Sweden