Procuraduría

Procuraduría is a term used in many Spanish-speaking countries to refer to a government institution charged with representing the state in legal matters, ensuring the legality of public administration, and protecting constitutional order. The exact scope and structure vary by country, and the term can denote either the public prosecutor’s office or a legal-advisory body to the executive branch.

In some jurisdictions, the procuraduría functions as the main public prosecutor, responsible for initiating and conducting criminal prosecutions and overseeing the fairness of judicial processes. In others, it operates primarily as a guardian of legality for the executive branch, providing legal opinions, supervising compliance of public officials, and occasionally handling disciplinary matters. In several systems, it combines elements of prosecution and legal advice, with a degree of institutional independence from the government.

Common tasks carried out by procuradurías include representing the state in court in civil, administrative, and criminal matters; issuing legal opinions on proposed legislation and administrative acts; supervising the conduct of public servants to ensure legality and ethics; and coordinating with other judicial or oversight bodies to preserve constitutional rights and public accountability.

Notable variations exist across countries. For example, Colombia maintains a Procuraduría General de la Nación as an independent constitutional body with authority to oversee public function and discipline officials. In Mexico, the office historically known as Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) was transformed in 2019 into the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), with the procuraduría term remaining in historical or regional contexts. Etymology traces to Latin procurare, “to take care of; to manage.”