RA Prosecutor’s Office

Prosecutorial service started to act in Armenia starting from 6 December, 1918, when the Council of the First Republic of Armenia adopted a Law on applying the laws of former Russian Empire on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The current law, particularly, was identifying that on the territory of the Republic of Armenia laws of former Russian empire were being applied in compliance with the amendments and supplements of Temporary Government, Transcaucasian Commissariat, Councils of Seim and Armenia. On the same day the Council of Armenia adopted a law on introducing the prosecutorial system of Russian Empire. The Prosecutor's Office was acting attached to the judicial system.

The RA Prosecutor's Service first was created as a separate institution after the establishment of Soviet Regime. Following the example of Soviet Russia the tasks of establishment of the united legality in the whole territory of Armenia and of organization of the struggle against crime was assigned to the SSRA Prosecutor's Office which was created on July 22, 1922. However, it was held as a separate institution for a short period of time. In December, 1922 by creation of Soviet Union there was established the Prosecutor's Office of the USSR Supreme Court within the countries of the Unit. The SSRA Prosecutor's Office became Soviet Armenia's subdivision acting under the Prosecution Office of the USSR Supreme Court.

The USSR Constitution which was passed in 1924 assigned the Prosecution Office with the responsibility of the establishment of revolution's legality on the whale territory of the country. On July 20, 1933 according to the joint decision of USSR Central Executive Committee and Populist Commissariat the USSR Prosecutor's Office was created. The Prosecutor's Offices of the USSR Countries became its structural subdivisions. In the same year the Charter of the USSR Prosecutor's Office was approved. It prescribed the functions of USSR Prosecutor's Office the relationship of the USSR Prosecutor General and Prosecutors of the Union Republics and the methods and the principles of the functioning and coordination of the Prosecution Bodies including SSRA Prosecution.

The Soviet Armenian Constitution which was passed in 1937 noticeably raised the role and the meaning of prosecutorial control. It clarified and prescribed the structure of the Prosecutor's Office presenting it as a unified and centralized system which acted under the coordination of USSR Prosecutor. SSRA Constitution stated that the high control over the duly implementation of Laws by the institutions under the Populist Commissariats as well as by official persons or by citizens on the territory of SSRA is realized both by USSR Prosecutor immediately and through SSRA Prosecutor.

By the Decree of the USSR General Council dated on February 27, 1959 there were created Collegiums as within the USSR Prosecution Office so within the Prosecution Offices of the USSR. In the result within the SSRA Prosecutor's Office also was created the Collegium which was headed by the Prosecutor of the Republic.

Proclaiming the independence on 21 September, 1991 the General Council of the second Republic of Armenia declared that the application of the previous legal and other acts in the territory of the country would continue unless they contradicted to the ideals of Declaration of Independence. One of the Laws not contradicting to the mentioned principles was the USSR Law On Prosecution Office and the Prosecutor's Bodies of the newly established independent Republic of Armenia were applying this Law in their activities until passing the new Law.

One of the first steps of the founded national legislation regulating the RA Prosecutor's Office activities was the formation of Military Prosecutor's Office as a separate subdivision within the RA Prosecutor's Office structure, which took place on 5 October, 1992. And on 5 July, 1992 the first Constitution of the Republic of Armenia was adopted, Article 103 of which identifies the framework of competences and objectives of the Prosecutor's Office. The National Law on Prosecutor's Office was adopted on 1 July, 1998, which came into force starting from 12 January, 1999. At the beginning of 1999 according to the Law on Prosecutor's Office new structural subdivisions of of the Prosecutor's Office were formed: The Prosecutor General's Office with its departments, Prosecutor's Offices of Regions, of Yerevan City, of administrative districts of Yerevan City and Garrison Military Prosecutor's Offices.

On 23 February, 1999 scientific-educational centre of the RA Prosecutor's Office was opened, which has become one of the popular establishements for scientfic and methodological research and training of prosecutorial and investigative bodies.

By the RA Government decree dated 7 March, 2003 numbered 207 -N July 1st was announced as the Prosecutor's Office Employees' Day.