Text 4. The attorney-general and the Director of public Prosecutions

The Attorney-General¹ is the Government’s chief Law Officer and his deputy is the Solicitor-General². They are primarily concerned with representing the Crown in Courts. The Attorney-General advises the Government on legislative proposals and on criminal proceedings which have a political or public element. He may take advice from his colleagues in the Government but he cannot be instructed by them.

The Attorney-General is a member of Government, he is not actually a member of the Cabinet itself.

The Attorney-General has the power to stop proceedings for any indictable offence. He has certain administrative functions of which the most important is the control of the Director of Public Prosecutions³.

The DPP’s office was established under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1879. The Director undertakes about 7,000 prosecutions a year himself and is constantly required to give advice to the police, the main prosecuting agencies, as well as to central government departments and magistrates clerks.

Offences which must be referred to the DPP include murder; buggery; impeding an arrest or prosecution; certain violations of the Fair Trading, firearms, the ill-treatment of mental patients.

Offences which must be referred to the Attorney-General include corruption; possessing explosive substances; hijacking; and breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

Notes:

¹ Attorney-General — генеральный прокурор (министерский пост)

² Solicitor-General — генеральный стряпчий (фактический заместитель генерального прокурора, член правительства)

³ Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) — директор государственного обвинения(главный прокурор, выступает как обвинитель по всем важным делам).

Exercise 14. Read text 5 and translate it into Russian in written form.