A venerable heritage
The Office of the Chancellor of Justice dates back to the 18th century, when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The duties of the Chancellor of Justice in Finland have since remained much the same.

When Finland was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1809 as an autonomous Grand Duchy, her legal system continued to be based on the constitutional provisions and other legislation from the period of Swedish rule. The duties of the Chancellor of Justice were entrusted to the Procurator, who was to assist the Governor General in supervising compliance with the law.

When Finland declared independence in 1917, the title of Procurator reverted to that of Chancellor of Justice and the Deputy Procurator was correspondingly renamed Deputy Chancellor of Justice. The basic provisions concerning the Chancellor of Justice were included in the new Constitution Act of Finland.

The first Chancellor of Justice appointed after the declaration of independence was Mr. Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, who had served, among other things, as Speaker of Parliament and who was later to become the third President of Finland.

The current Chancellor of Justice, Mr. Jaakko Jonkka, is Finland's 17th Chancellor since independence.

• Chancellors of Justice, Deputy Chancellors of Justice and Substitutes for Deputy Chancellors of Justice plus the latter's substitutes since 1918

Further information on the Government and Government Palace can be found at http://www.government.fi.