The Swedish Prosecution Authority ( sv, Åklagarmyndigheten) is the principal agency in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
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 Jus ...
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 Co ...
.
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 ( sv, Polismyndigheten) is the national police force (''Polisen'') of the Kingdom of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under loc ...
, the
courts 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 Internet leak, leaks provided by ...
, first made in 2010, and filed a request for his arrest.
Shortly after the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, 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
Crime in Sweden is defined by the Swedish Penal Code ( sv, Brottsbalken) and in other Swedish laws and statutory instruments.
Over the past decades, the number of reported crimes in Sweden has increased slightly. This fact is due to several ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Law enforcement agencies of Sweden