Code of Ethics

Any person who exercises the powers of a public prosecutor must be able to prove that he/she will use it not only in compliance with the law but also in compliance with fundamental moral rules recognized by civilized society. Such a person declares his consent with these rules in his oath that reads as follows: “I vow on my honor and conscience to proceed always in compliance with the Constitution and laws of the Czech Republic as well as international conventions while protecting public interest, and to respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity, and maintain confidentiality of what I will learn while performing the duties of a public prosecutor, even after my term of office is over. I will protect the dignity of my profession while performing the duties of my office as well as in my private life."[1] The Code of Professional Ethics of a Public Prosecutor can, to a certain extent, be des ribed as an elaboration of values contained in this oath. The basic source of inspiration were “The Rules of Professional Responsibility and a Survey of Fundamental Duties and Rights of Prosecutors” adopted by the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) on 23 April, 1999 in Amsterdam. In addition, the principles contained in the following codes of ethics were taken into account: 1. Code of Ethics of the Association of Judges of the Slovak Republic [2]. 2. Principles of Ethical Conduct of Lawyers [3], elaborated by the Board of the Union of Czech Lawyers [3]. 3. Ethical Principles of the Conduct of Judges [4] adopted by the Union of Judges of the Czech Republic. 4. Moral Code of Public Prosecutors [5].