The council of ministers has nominated Edwin Bleichrodt, Professor of Criminal (Procedural) Law at Erasmus School of Law, for Procurator General at the Dutch Supreme Court. The appointment will take effect on 1 September 2021.
Since 2013, Bleichrodt has been advocate general at the Supreme Court, and as of 1 September, he will become Procurator General. The Procurator General leads the Procurator General’s office at the Supreme Court, where the advocates general work. The main task of the Procurator General is to give advisory opinions to the Supreme Court. Usually, the opinions of the advocates general are taken on behalf of the Procurator General. The Procurator General also has special tasks, such as investigating closed criminal cases in light of a possible request to review. He also has a supervisory task concerning judges, the Public Prosecution Office and compliance to the GDPR legislation within the judiciary. The Procurator General is also charged with prosecuting public office offences committed by members of the States-General, secretaries of State and ministers.
The Procurator General at the Supreme Court is an independent institution within the judiciary, and it operates independently from the Supreme Court. The Procurator General, the president of the Supreme Court and the director of operations form the Board of the joint organisation of the Supreme Court and the Procurator General’s office. The Procurator General’s office at the Supreme Court is not part of the Public Prosecution Office.
Professor Suzan Stoter, Dean of Erasmus School of Law, welcomes the news about Bleichrodt's appointment: “I congratulate Edwin and his colleagues of the Department of Criminal Law wholeheartedly with this honourable appointment. The appointment is in recognition of the important role that our Professor of (Procedural) Criminal Law has in connecting science with the legal practice.”
Bleichrodt is grateful for the trust put in him and rejoices the office he will hold. He hopes to serve the rule of law to the best of his ability and to include the societal and institutional context in his work. "Together with the President of the Supreme Court, I want to convey the role of the Supreme Court and the Procurator General’s office have within our legal system, in an approachable manner. Internally, I would like to be a uniting procurator general for the entire Procurator Generals’ office; for the departments of Criminal Law, Civil Law and Tax Law." Bleichrodt continues working for Erasmus School of Law as a Professor of Criminal (Procedure) Law.