RIGA, Sept 2 (LETA) - Four candidates have applied for the post of the prosecutor general: the incumbent Prosecutor General Juris Stukans, Constitutional Court Judge and former prosecutor Juris Juriss, Riga Regional Prosecutor Office's Chief Prosecutor Armins Meisters, and former Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office prosecutor Janis Ilsteris, sources told LETA.

Juriss took office as a Constitutional Court judge in November 2024. From 1999 to 2000, he served as a prosecutor at the Financial and Economic Crimes Prosecutor's Office, and from 2000 to 2009 he worked at the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office. In 2009, Juriss continued his career as a prosecutor at the Prosecutor General Office's Criminal Law Department, and from 2021, he was appointed chief prosecutor at the Prosecutor General Office's Criminal Law Department. Juriss was one of the prosecutors working on the criminal case against former Ventspils Mayor Aivars Lembergs (For Latvia and Ventspils).

Ilsteris retired in 2021. He was president of the Latvian Prosecutors' Association and, together with Juriss and other colleagues, was also one of the prosecutors in Lembergs' criminal case. He now works as a senior lawyer at the Competition Council's Legal Department.

Ilsteris also ran for the post of the prosecutor general in 2020, when Stukans was appointed.

Meisters has been chief prosecutor at Riga Regional Prosecutor's Office since May 2018.

The Judicial Council will request the Constitution Protection Bureau's opinion on whether the candidates meet the requirements of the Law on State Secrets for obtaining security clearance.

The Judicial Council is planning to hear the candidates for the prosecutor general in early November.

As reported, the Judicial Council announced in mid-July a new competition for the post of Prosecutor General. Monday was the last day for potential candidates to apply.

Stukans' term of office ended on July 11, but the first competition this spring failed to select a new prosecutor-general.

In the first competition, none of the three candidates who had applied received the support of the Judicial Council and was not forwarded to the Saeima for approval. However, they were not prevented from taking part in the competition again.

According to the Law on the Prosecutor's Office, the Prosecutor General is appointed for five years by the Saeima on the proposal of the Judicial Council. The same person may not hold the office for more than two consecutive terms.

The Saeima unanimously approved Stukans as Prosecutor General on June 18, 2020.