On Friday, 10 January, the Judicial Council announced an open competition for the post of Prosecutor General. Applications must be submitted by 31 January.
To be eligible for participating in the competition, an applicant has to be at least 40 years old, a citizen of Latvia, with the highest level of proficiency of the national language, a higher professional or academic education, a qualification of a lawyer and a master's or doctorate degree. The requirements shall also include an impeccable reputation and the following professional experience: at least five years' experience as a judge of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, an international or supranational court, or 10 years' experience as a judge of a regional court, a chief prosecutor, a prosecutor of a regional prosecution office or the Prosecutor General's Office, or 15 years' experience as a judge or prosecutor. The applicant must also meet the requirements set out in the Law on Official Secret to obtain a special permit for access to state secrets.
Upon receipt of the application documents, the Secretariat of the Judicial Council will carry out an examination of each applicant's eligibility. The Constitution Protection Bureau will, in turn, issue an opinion on the applicant's eligibility for a special permit for access to state secrets.
Candidates for the post of Prosecutor General will be evaluated on the basis of the Regulation of competition, evaluation criteria and selection procedure of candidates for the post of Prosecutor General approved by the Judicial Council.
Candidates who shall meet the requirements laid down in the Office of the Prosecutor Law and who shall receive a positive opinion from the Constitution Protection Bureau will be invited to a Judicial Council’s meeting.
The Judicial Council will evaluate the candidates for the post of Prosecutor General and select the most suitable candidates from among them. Following the proposal of the Judicial Council, the Saeima (parliament) will then decide on the appointment of the Prosecutor General.
The competition notice is available on the website of the Judicial Council and on the website of the Latvian official publisher "Latvijas Vēstnesis". The competition regulation is available on the website of the Judicial Council.
Further information:
The competition is being announced because the term of office of the current Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns will expire on 11 July 2025.
The Prosecutor General manages and supervises activities of the Prosecutor's Office, determines its internal structure and staff in accordance with the allocated state budget funds, approves normative acts adopted by the Council of the Prosecutor General and directly manages the work of prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office, as well as performs other duties prescribed by law.