// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Chancellor of Justice go to court? It had a fair case.
| Chancellor of Justice of the Government of Finland | |
|---|---|
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| Office of the Chancellor of Justice | |
| Appointer | President of Finland |
| Term length | Life |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Finland |
| Formation | 1917 |
| First holder | P. E. Svinhufvud |
| Website | https://oikeuskansleri.fi |
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The Chancellor of Justice (Finnish: oikeuskansleri, Swedish: justitiekanslern), 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.[1][2]
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The chancellor and a deputy are appointed by the President of Finland. The incumbent Chancellor of Justice is Janne Salminen[3][4] who assumed office on the 1st of September 2025.[5] The chancellor has a life term.
History
[edit]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.[6]
Duties and powers
[edit]
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[7][8][9] other than those supervised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman. They may also start an investigation of their own initiative.[10][11] 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.[1][2] Lastly the chancellor supervises the Finnish Bar Association.[12]
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.[1]
List of Chancellors
[edit]| Chancellor of Justice | In Office[13] |
|---|---|
| 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 | 2007–2017 |
| Risto Hiekkataipale | 2017–2018 (acting) |
| Tuomas Pöysti | 2018–2025 |
| Janne Salminen | 2025–present[3][4][5] |
| 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 | 2018–2026[14] |
| Petri Martikainen | 2026–present[15][16] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Jyränki, Antero; Husa, Jaakko (2012). Valtiosääntöoikeus [Constitutional Law] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kauppakamari. pp. 333–336, 338. ISBN 978-952-246-109-4.
- 1 2 Saraviita, Ilkka (2011). Perustuslaki [Constitution] (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Talentum. pp. 924–931. ISBN 9789521416149.
- 1 2 "Oikeustieteellisen tiedekunnan dekaani, professori Janne Salminen nimitetty oikeuskansleriksi | Turun yliopisto". www.utu.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- 1 2 "Uusi oikeuskansleri ei ole kovin huolissaan oikeusvaltiosta Suomessa – yhden uuden asian hän veisi silti perustuslakiin". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2025-09-13. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- 1 2 "Janne Salminen on aloittanut työnsä oikeuskanslerina". Valtioneuvoston oikeuskansleri (in Finnish). 2025-09-01. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Historia". Valtioneuvoston oikeuskansleri (in Finnish). Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Supervision of the Government and the President of the Republic". Chancellor of Justice. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Supervision of the activities of authorities". Chancellor of Justice. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Supervision of courts of law and prosecutors". Chancellor of Justice. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Duties and activities – The office of the chancellor of justice". www.okv.fi. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
- ↑ "Valtioneuvoston oikeuskansleri - Minilex". Minilex.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Supervision of advocates". Chancellor of Justice. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Historia – Oikeuskanslerinvirasto". www.okv.fi. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
- ↑ "Apulaisoikeuskansleri Mikko Puumalainen jää eläkkeelle". Valtioneuvoston oikeuskansleri (in Finnish). 2025-09-22. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Petri Martikainen on aloittanut työnsä apulaisoikeuskanslerina". Valtioneuvoston oikeuskansleri (in Finnish). 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Chancellor of Justice and Deputy Chancellor of Justice". Chancellor of Justice. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
