Attorney General, Republic of Cyprus It is with great pleasure that I foreword the book of Dr Despina Kyprianou's for many reasons: The ?rst one is that books on any area of Cyprus Law is particularly welcomed as there are limited studies which focus on this ?eld and reveal the singularities and special features of Cyprus Law. The second one is that this book is about the Attorney General's Of?ce, an of?ce that I have served for almost thir- ?ve years and have personal knowledge of its crucial role not only regarding prosecutions but also regarding a wide variety of other legal issues. The third and most important reason is that this is an excellent work and a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of the Role of the Cyprus Attorney General's Of?ce in Prosecutions. The last reason that I am very happy to commend this study is the fact that, a few years ago, I was the one that granted access to the Law Of?ce for Dr Kyprianou's research. The publication of this highly informative book is the best con?rmation that I was right in doing so. The Republic of Cyprus was established as an independent sovereign republic with a presidential regime on 16 August 1960, when its Constitution came into force and British sovereignty over Cyprus as a Crown Colony ceased.
This book is a fascinating and entirely original work about the role of the Cyprus Attorney General's Office in prosecutions. It is based on data gathered using an impressive blend of methods, including observation, a documentary survey and semi-structured interviews within the Office.
The book focuses mainly on the workload of the Law Office and its relationship with the Police, the role it acquires during investigations and its role in the formulation and application of prosecution policies. These themes are approached from three different angles: the legal framework and the rhetoric developed over time concerning these areas, combined with the manner in which successive Attorney Generals have approached their role; the ideology that characterises the Law Officers' position towards these particular functions, and the actual day-to-day activity (practices) observed within the Law Office.
Although the central purpose of this work is to provide a profound understanding of the Cyprus system, wider conclusions can be drawn which exceed the boundaries of the particular jurisdiction and shed light on the most debatable aspects of the prosecution process in all jurisdictions.
