The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday it plans to amend the Prosecutors Staffing Act to reduce the number of prosecutors at the new Public Prosecution Service, which is set to replace the current prosecution office in October. The new agency will launch with roughly 80 to 85 percent of the current statutory headcount of 2,292 prosecutors, and the ministry said it will not fill vacancies created by special appointments to the new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency after the Public Prosecution Service opens.
The ministry said a revised organizational decree for the Public Prosecution Service and its affiliated agencies, as well as amendments to the enforcement ordinance of the Prosecutors Staffing Act — both drawn up after gathering broad public input during a legislative notice period from Sept. 4 to Sept. 9 — were approved at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The ministry said it plans to move quickly on amending the Prosecutors Staffing Act to reduce the overall prosecutor headcount. It added that, ahead of the legislative revision, it has already reassigned prosecutors from investigative divisions to trial divisions to strengthen the agency's courtroom functions.
bell@heraldcorp.com
