The Chancellor of Justice (, ), officially Chancellor of Justice of the Government of Finland, is a Finnish government official who supervises authorities', such as cabinet ministers', courts, prosecutors, and the president, compliance with the law and advances legal protection of Finnish citizens. The chancellor is jointly with the parliamentary ombudsman the highest overseer of legality in Finland and is vested with substantial investigation, oversight, and prosecution powers.
The chancellor and a deputy are appointed by the President of Finland. The incumbent Chancellor of Justice is Janne Salminen who assumed office on the 1st of September 2025. The chancellor has a life term.
History The Office of the Chancellor of Justice dates back to the 18th century, when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. When Finland was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1809 as an autonomous Grand Duchy, the legal system largely remained the same. The functions of the Chancellor of Justice, however, were assigned to the procurator, who assisted the Governor-General in supervising obedience to the law.
A year after Finland declared its independence in 1917, the title and office of Chancellor of Justice was re-established. The first incumbent of this restored institution was Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, who had served as the speaker of the Parliament and who was later to become the third President of Finland. In 1919, a post of parliamentary ombudsman was created. The Ombudsman and the Chancellor of Justice share many duties.
Duties and powers The main duty of the chancellor is investigating complaints against official acts of the Government, President of the Republic, and other authorities such as courts and prosecutors other than those supervised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman. They may also start an investigation of their own initiative. The chancellor also attends cabinet meetings to ensure that legal procedures and regulations are followed by providing comments and if necessary publicly dissenting. Additionally the chancellor may give advisory opinions to the Government and the President on bills and other matters before them. Lastly the chancellor supervises the Finnish Bar Association.
Where the chancellor finds law has been broken they may issue a warning or, in severe cases, press criminal charges, not withstanding government ministers. In the case of government ministers the chancellor must refer the matter to the Constitutional Law Committee.
List of Chancellors Chancellor of JusticeIn Office P. E. Svinhufvud 1917–1918 Axel Fredrik Charpentier 1918–1928 Urho Castrén 1928–1929 Albert von Hellens 1930 Albert Makkonen 1930–1933 Oiva Huttunen 1933–1944 Toivo Tarjanne 1944–1950 Carl Gustaf Möller 1950–1955 Olavi Honka 1956–1961 Antti Hannikainen 1961–1964 Aarne Nuorvala 1964–1965 Jaakko Enäjärvi 1965–1970 Risto Leskinen 1970–1982 Kai Korte 1982–1986 Jorma S. Aalto 1986–1998 Paavo Nikula 1998–2007 Jaakko Jonkka 2007–2017Risto Hiekkataipale 2017–2018 (acting) Tuomas Pöysti 2018–2025Janne Salminen2025–present Deputy Chancellors of Justice In Office Knut Immanuel Savonius 1918–1926 Urho Castrén 1926–1928 Eino Johannes Ahla 1928–1933 Carl Gustaf Möller 1933–1950 Antti Juhana Hannikainen 1950–1956 Eero Johannes Manner 1956–1965 Reino Markus Lindroos 1965–1971 Jorma S. Aalto 1971–1974 Antti Okko 1974–1981 Jukka Pasanen 1981–2001 Jaakko Jonkka 2001–2007 Mikko Puumalainen 2007–2014 Risto Hiekkataipale 2014–2017 Kimmo Hakonen 2017 Mikko Puumalainen 2018–2026Petri Martikainen2026–present
See also Judicial system of Finland Government of Finland Chancellor of Justice Ombudsman
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