Prosecutor General's Office
The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) is the highest body of the Public Prosecution Service, and it comprises the Prosecutor General as its president, the Vice prosecutor general, the High Council of the Public Prosecution Service, the Consultative Council of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Legal Auditors, the National Coordination Offices and the General Secretariat [article 220(1), (2) of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic/CPR, and article 15 the Statute of the Public Prosecution Service/SPPS]
The following departments operate under its authority [article 9(3) of the SPPS]
- the Central Department of Criminal Investigation and Prosecution (CDCIP)
- the Technologies and Information Systems Department
- the Department of Judicial Cooperation and International Relations
- the Central Department of State litigation and Collective and Diffuse Interest
- the Technical Advisory Unit (TAU)
Generally, their competences are set out in articles 16 EMP and 219/5 CRP. For a global overview see the powers conferred to its various components:
- the Prosecutor General of the Republic: article 19 of the SPPS
- the Vice Prosecutor General: article 20 of the SPPS
- the High Council of the Public Prosecution Service: article 21 of the SPPS
- the Consultative Council of the Prosecutor General’s Office: article 43 of the SPPS
- the Legal Auditors: article 51 of the SPPS
- the National Coordination Offices: article 55 of the SPPS
- the General Secretariat: article 56 of the SPPS
Apart from being a complex body, the Prosecutor General’s Office is also the central authority for the International Judicial co-operation in Criminal matters, for the apostille, and for the Convention on the International Protection of Adults. The Data Oversight Commission of the Portuguese Republic Intelligence System has its seat at the Prosecutor General’s Office.