The 16^th of January 1919 could probably serve as the reference point of the formation of an independent prosecutor’s office of Lithuania. On this day, the Provisional Law on the Courts of Lithuania and Organization of Their Work was promulgated. This law stipulated that ‘State Advocates (Procurators) and their assistants shall act under every regional court and the Supreme Tribunal.’ This provision signified the beginning of an autonomous development of important law enforcement authority - the prosecutor’s office. Even the Minister of Justice, Mr. Petras Leonas, in an explanatory circular on the law, declared that ‘many institutions within the system of judicial power are not established at first, until they are actually proved to be necessary’. In February 1919 (no documents confirming a more precise date of appointment were found), the lawyer Kazys Samajauskas was appointed as State Advocate. He held this position for a little bit more than one month. Rapolas Skipitis, who was appointed as State Advocate under Kaunas Regional Court on 6^th of March 1919, writes: ‘For some time, I was the only State Advocate for the entire Lithuania because Marijampolė Regional Court with a subordinate prosecutor’s office was organized afterwards, while the Regional Courts of Šiauliai and Panevėžys with respective prosecutor’s offices were organized even later. After some time, the Military Court was established, too. Besides, I had to hold the position of the prosecutor of the Supreme Tribunal’. (Skipitis, R. Building an Independent Lithuania. Chicago, 1961) R. Skipitis acted as State Advocate until 18^th of June 1920, i.e. until the day he was appointed as the Minister of Interior. In the book titled ‘Lithuanian Court. 1918-1928’, the Chairman of the Supreme Tribunal, Antanas Kriščiukaitis, writes: ‘These times were the most troubled period of the development of the prosecutor’s office’. In February 1921, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Tribunal started to work independently. At that time, Jurgis Kalvaitis was appointed as the State Advocate of the Supreme Tribunal. During the interwar years in Lithuania, pursuant to the requirements of the Law on the System of Courts (1933), the State Advocate institution was renamed the Prosecutor’s Office. The said Law, which came into force on 15^th of September 1933, stipulated as follows (Art. 262): ‘The Minister of Justice shall act as the Supreme Prosecutor of the Republic. He shall preside over the prosecutors and their assistants of the Supreme Tribunal, Chambers of Appeal, and regional courts, and supervise them’. Prosecutors and their assistants were appointed and dismissed from office by the President of the Republic, upon the motion of the Minister of Justice. A person could be admitted to service at the prosecutor’s office and appointed to the post of the prosecutor or the prosecutor’s assistant provided that he had reached the age of 25, obtained higher education, had specific work experience, and had passed the required exams. Prosecutor‘s Offices were formed under the Regional Courts, Chambers of Appeal and Supreme Tribunal. District Prosecutor controlled the activities of the district court prosecutor’s assistants. Prosecutor of the Chambers of Appeals controlled the activities of the district court prosecutors and their assistants. Prosecutor of the Supreme Tribunal were under the control prosecutors and their assistants of the district court as well as of the Chambers of Appeal.

Prosecutor’s Office during the period of occupation