Management of Prosecution Service's resources in organising and directing pre-trial investigations and prosecution on behalf of the State in criminal cases

• On average, almost 52,000 pre-trial investigations were opened in Lithuania annually between 2021 and 2023. As of 30 June 2024, 542 prosecutors organised, managed and prosecuted pre-trial investigations.
• In 2023, there was a 34% difference in the workload of prosecutors in district prosecutor's offices in terms of the number of pre-trial investigations opened.
• The average length of criminal investigations decreased from 152 to 135 calendar days between 2021 and 2023.

The structure of the Prosecutor's Office has been optimised in order to rationalise the management of resources in the period 2020-2021. Despite the optimisation work already carried out, with a view to shorter pre-trial investigation times, better investigation clearance and more effective prosecution support, there is still room and scope for more efficient management of human and material resources, for more focused and ambitious strategic planning and for monitoring based on reliable data. This is highlighted in the audit carried out by the National Audit Office on "Management of Prosecutor's Office resources in the organisation and management of pre-trial investigations and in the support of the prosecution in criminal cases".

The main objective of the National Audit Office's audit was to assess whether the Prosecutor's Office uses the available resources efficiently and effectively in organising and managing pre-trial investigations and in supporting the prosecution in criminal cases.

"More efficient management of resources would help to better balance workloads, reduce the length of pre-trial investigations and increase the solvability of criminal offences. The Prosecutor's Office should continue to focus on improving its performance", says Mindaugas Macijauskas, Auditor General.

In 2023, there was a 34% difference in the workload of prosecutors between district prosecutors' offices in terms of the number of pre-trial investigations opened. Vilnius District prosecutors had on average 137 pre-trial investigations in 2023, the highest workload in Lithuania. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Šiauliai had the lowest workload, with an average of 97 open investigations per prosecutor. The high workload has a negative impact on the length of criminal investigations.

Between 2021 and 2023, the average time taken to investigate criminal offences decreased from 152 to 135 calendar days. This is a significant result, although it still falls short of the target set by the Prosecutor's Office of no more than 130 calendar days for investigations in 2023.

The implementation of the audit recommendations could lead to significant changes: monitoring would be based on reliable data, prosecutors' workload would be more evenly distributed, and more results-oriented strategic planning would contribute to faster pre-trial investigations.