Consistency and legitimacy of public prosecution

At a time in which the institutions of the judiciary are at the heart of public debate, it is apparent that the status and role of the Public Prosecutor are key issues in judicial reform. Further to rulings from the European Court of Human Rights and inconsistencies within the French model itself, the office of the Public Prosecutor in France is undergoing a profound crisis of legitimacy. A theoretical assessment appears necessary in order to produce an appropriate and coherent model giving indisputable legitimacy to those representatives of society who are to protect public interest and individual freedoms. Such legitimacy is to be considered in light of the position of the Public Prosecutor in the apparatus of State, the procedures he must follow and the objectives he must pursue. Having highlighted the lack of statutory safeguards applicable to the office of the French Public Prosecutor, and considering its legitimacy within the judiciary, it appears that by the very nature of its various criminal, civil and commercial functions, and given the tasks entrusted to it, the office of Public Prosecutor must be fulfilled by members of the judiciary who benefit, as such, from the same statutory guarantees as judges.