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'''Prosecutor General of the USSR''' (''Генеральный прокурор СССР'' in
Russian, or Generalny prokuror SSSR), was the highest
functionary of the
Office of Public Prosecutor of the
USSR, responsible for the whole system of offices of public prosecutors and supervision of their activities on the territory of the
Soviet Union.
After creation of the Office of Public Prosecutor of the USSR (
1936), its head used to be called
Public Prosecutor of the USSR until
1946, after that - Prosecutor General of the USSR.
According to the
Soviet Constitution of 1936, Prosecutor General exercised the highest degree of direct or indirect (through subordinate public prosecutors) control over the accurate execution of
laws by all
ministries,
departments, their subordinate
establishments and
enterprises, executive and administrative bodies of local
Soviets,
cooperative organizations, officials and citizens on behalf of the state.
Prosecutor General was appointed by the
Supreme Soviet of the USSR for a 7-year term and given a class rank of the Active state counselor of justice. His deputies and
Prosecutor General of the Military were appointed by the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on recommendation from Prosecutor General. Prosecutor General appointed public prosecutors of the republics of the Union and, on their recommendation, - public prosecutors of
autonomous republics,
krais,
oblasts and
autonomous oblasts. He also issued orders and instructions for all of the offices of public prosecutors, instructed on differentiation of their
competence etc.
Prosecutor General had the right to present his issues to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet that needed to be solved in the
legislative manner or demanded
interpretation of the law.
Prosecutor General's participation in the
plenary sessions of the
Supreme Court of the USSR was mandatory. He had the right to obtain on demand any case from any court for checking purposes, voice his protest over a law, verdict, decree, or definition, which had already come into force, of any court and to suspend them until the matter was resolved.
