senior public prosecutor
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senior public prosecutor
A high-ranking official in the public prosecutor's office who stands above an ordinary public prosecutor in the hierarchy. They often head a department and are responsible for especially important or complex cases.
Der Oberstaatsanwalt vertrat die Anklage im Prozess wegen Wirtschaftskriminalität.
The senior public prosecutor represented the prosecution in the trial involving white-collar crime.
The prefix 'Ober-' indicates a higher position in a hierarchy. An 'Oberstaatsanwalt' (senior public prosecutor) therefore ranks above a normal 'Staatsanwalt' (public prosecutor). This pattern is also found in other professions, e.g. 'Oberarzt' (senior physician/consultant).
Zum Oberstaatsanwalt wird man nach vielen Dienstjahren befördert.
You are promoted to senior public prosecutor after many years of service.
This word belongs to the technical language of the German legal system. You hear or read it almost exclusively in reports about court proceedings and criminal investigations.
In dem komplexen Fall leitete der Oberstaatsanwalt persönlich die Ermittlungen.
In the complex case, the senior public prosecutor personally led the investigation.
Typical actions of an 'Oberstaatsanwalt' (senior public prosecutor) are described with verbs such as 'Anklage erheben' (to bring charges), 'die Ermittlungen leiten' (to lead the investigation), or 'ein Plädoyer halten' (to make a closing argument).
Der Oberstaatsanwalt wird morgen die Anklage erheben.
The senior public prosecutor will bring charges tomorrow.
public prosecutor
'der Staatsanwalt' and 'der Oberstaatsanwalt' both work at the public prosecutor's office and have to do with criminal proceedings. 'Staatsanwalt' is the general profession: he represents the prosecution on behalf of the state. 'Oberstaatsanwalt' is a higher position within the public prosecutor's office. A senior public prosecutor often heads a department or handles especially important cases. Learners may confuse the words because they sound similar and work in the same field. If the exact rank is not important, 'Staatsanwalt' is usually enough. For a higher-level function, 'Oberstaatsanwalt' is more precise.
Im Gespräch mit dem Oberstaatsanwalt erklärt Jan die neuen Informationen.
In the conversation with the senior public prosecutor, Jan explains the new information.
Am Morgen ruft der Anwalt den Staatsanwalt wegen des Termins an.
In the morning, the lawyer calls the public prosecutor about the appointment.