Austria
Prosecution in Austria
The Staatsanwaltschaft — an organ of the ordinary judiciary, but subordinate through a chain of instruction to the Federal Minister of Justice, with a 2026 draft reform that would change that.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
Prosecution is conducted by the public prosecution service (Staatsanwaltschaft), whose members are constitutionally "organs of the ordinary judiciary" that exercise investigation and indictment functions, bound by instructions as federal law provides (Article 90a). The service is tiered: prosecutors' offices (Staatsanwaltschaften) at the regional courts, senior prosecutors' offices (Oberstaatsanwaltschaften) at the higher regional courts, and the Procurator General (Generalprokuratur) at the Supreme Court.
The same idea, explained generally
- What does a prosecutor do?
A prosecutor decides whether a criminal case should be brought, on what charges, and presents it in court. This guide explains the tests applied, the duties owed, and how the role differs between systems.
- Why do justice systems need oversight?
Justice institutions hold coercive powers, often operate out of public view, and make decisions that are hard to reverse. This guide explains the oversight mechanisms built to detect and correct errors, and their limits.
Sources
Sources
Federal Constitutional Law of Austria (Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz, B-VG), consolidated
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt (Austria) · Legislation · 1930 · link verified 2026-07-26
The consolidated Austrian Federal Constitutional Law in the official legal-information system of the Federation (RIS). Individual articles were fetched at their ELI addresses and confirmed verbatim in two independent passes. Supports Art. 10(1) Z 6 and Z 7 (civil and criminal law, the administration of justice, protective institutions, and the security police — except the local security police — are FEDERAL matters of both legislation and execution); Art. 78a(1) and 78b(1) (the Federal Minister of the Interior is the supreme security authority; one Landespolizeidirektion per Land, subordinate to that Minister — federal authorities, not Land police forces); Art. 82(1) ("Die ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit geht vom Bund aus" — ordinary jurisdiction emanates from the Federation), reworded to "ordentliche" with effect from 1 January 2014 by the 2012 administrative-jurisdiction reform; Art. 87(1) (judges independent); Art. 90a (public prosecutors as organs of the ordinary judiciary, bound by instructions as provided by federal law); Art. 92(1) (the Oberster Gerichtshof is the highest instance in civil and criminal matters); Art. 129/133 (the administrative courts and the Verwaltungsgerichtshof); Art. 144 (the Verfassungsgerichtshof); and Art. 148a (the Volksanwaltschaft handles complaints of maladministration in federal administration).
Public Prosecution Service Act (Staatsanwaltschaftsgesetz, StAG), consolidated
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt (Austria) · Legislation · 1986 · link verified 2026-07-26
The consolidated Austrian Public Prosecution Service Act (RIS); §2(1) was fetched at its ELI address and confirmed verbatim in two passes. Supports §2(1) — "Die Staatsanwaltschaften sind den Oberstaatsanwaltschaften und diese sowie die Generalprokuratur dem Bundesminister für Justiz unmittelbar untergeordnet und weisungsgebunden" — establishing that the prosecutors' offices (Staatsanwaltschaften) are subordinate to the senior prosecutors' offices (Oberstaatsanwaltschaften), and those together with the Procurator General (Generalprokuratur) are directly subordinate and bound by instructions to the Federal Minister of Justice. Establishes the chain of instruction (Weisungskette) and its apex, and the three-tier structure of the prosecution.
oesterreich.gv.at (official Austrian government service portal) · Government publication · link verified 2026-07-26
The official government-portal page for the public-consultation draft (Begutachtungsentwurf) of a Federal Act to introduce a Bundesstaatsanwaltschaft, read directly. It records the stated purpose — "Zur Entpolitisierung der Weisungsspitze … eine unabhängige und weisungsfreie Bundesstaatsanwaltschaft einzurichten" (to depoliticise the top of the chain of instruction by establishing an independent, instruction-free federal prosecution service) — and the consultation window (Beginn der Begutachtung 30 June 2026, Ende 31 August 2026), with entry into force stated as prospective. Cited, neutrally and by attribution, to record that a reform removing the Federal Minister of Justice from the apex of the prosecution's chain of instruction is a consultation draft, NOT enacted law; it is described in prose, not as a scheduled change, because it is not yet adopted and its commencement is not fixed.