Chancellor of Justice and Deputy Chancellor of Justice

The Chancellor of Justice is an independent supreme guardian of the law alongside the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The President of the Republic appoints the Chancellor of Justice. The duties of the Chancellor of Justice are also carried out by the Deputy Chancellor of Justice appointed by the President and the substitute for the Deputy Chancellor of Justice designated by the President.

The Chancellor of Justice alone has the decision-making power in all matters within the competence of the office. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice and the substitute for the Deputy Chancellor of Justice decide on matters that fall under their remit under the same competence as the Chancellor of Justice. The Chancellor of Justice is in charge of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice.

The Chancellor of Justice primarily decides on matters concerning

  • the Parliament
  • the President of the Republic
  • the Government, its members and ministries
  • highest officials
  • the Office of the Chancellor of Justice
  • international cooperation and international affairs
  • national preparation of European Union affairs
  • supervision of advocates
  • statements made by the Chancellor of Justice
  • matters of principle or of far-reaching consequence.

The Deputy Chancellor of Justice decides on matters that are not primary duties of the Chancellor of Justice. In practice, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice makes a decision on most complaints. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice oversees the legality of the activities of courts and other authorities, for example by processing complaints and making legality oversight visits. In addition, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice inspects the minutes of Government sessions. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice also acts as the substitute for the Chancellor of Justice. In this case, the substitute for the Deputy Chancellor of Justice will perform the Deputy Chancellor’s duties.

The current Chancellor of Justice is Tuomas Pöysti, LL.D and the Deputy Chancellor of Justice is Mikko Puumalainen, LL.D., LL.M. trained on the bench. The substitute for the Deputy Chancellor of Justice is Petri Martikainen, LL.Lic., LL.M trained on the bench.