Prosecutor General of Greece
The Prosecutor General of the Hellenic Republic (Greek: εισαγγελέας του Αρείου Πάγου) is the head of the Prosecutor's Office of the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece, the highest judicial body in Greece. The Prosecutor General has the authority to appeal against any judicial decision, in order to ensure the correct interpretation of the law. Prosecutor General is assisted by the deputy prosecutors of the Supreme Court, who acts when Prosecutor General is absent or unable to act.
Duties
The Prosecutor General does not formally belong to the Ministry of Justice, but is an independent position. However, there is communication and cooperation between the Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Justice on matters concerning the administration of Justice.
Some of the key duties of the Prosecutor General are to appeal against court decisions for the correct interpretation of the law, give opinions on legal issues, supervise the functioning of the judiciary, control the disciplinary liability of judges and coordinate the issuance of statistical data and reports.
Appointment
The Prosecutor General is appointed according to the Greek Constitution and the specific law that exists in that respect (called the Code of Organization of Courts and Status of Judicial Officers). The Greek Constitution provides for the position of the Prosecutor General through article 90 and also describes the way he is appointed. The law is the basic legal framework that describes the responsibilities of the Prosecutor General.
The appointment is formalized by a presidential decree issued after the proposition made from the Council of Ministers. The candidates can only be members of the Supreme Court and its deputy prosecutors.
Since 7 July 2025, the Prosecutor General of the Hellenic Republic is Konstantinos Tzavelas. He has been appointed at this position following a decision of the Council of Ministers, together with Anastasia Papadopoulou as the President of the Supreme Court.
History
Greece's constitutionally established judicial system is divided into two jurisdictions: the administrative and the civil/criminal. These jurisdictions are further sub-divided into three bodies: the Supreme Courts (the highest courts), the Courts of Appeals (upper, appellate courts), and the Courts of First Instance (lower courts).
The highest courts in Greece are the Supreme Administrative Court (Symvoulio tis Epikrateias), the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court (Areios Pagos), and the Court of Audit (Elegktiko Synedrio), which has the authority to audit the State's, local government agencies', and other legal entities' expenditures.
Greek judges fall into one of these two categories; hence, a civil judge cannot decide an administrative matter, and an administrative judge cannot decide a criminal or civil case.
Euterpi Koutzamani was the first female Prosecutor General, an office she held between 2013 and 2016.