Procedure for Filing a Complaint
In practice, the supervision of legality is primarily carried out by ruling on complaints filed with the Chancellor of Justice against the actions of an authority or public official.

What kinds of complaints are filed with the Chancellor of Justice?
Anyone, regardless of their citizenship, is entitled to turn to the Chancellor of Justice in a matter that directly concerns him or her, or in any other matter, should the complainant believe that an authority, public official or public body has acted in a manner that violates their rights, or a member of the Bar has neglected his or her responsibilities. In addition, anyone who believes that a basic right or liberty or human right guaranteed under the Constitution has not been observed, may turn to the Chancellor of Justice for redress.

How is a complaint filed?
Complaints are made in writing. The following points should he mentioned:

• the identity of the public official, authority or public corporation that is the subject of the complaint;
• a description of the action that the complainant regards as illegal; and
• the name, address and signature of the complainant.

Any relevant documents may be appended to the complaint. These documents will be returned when the matter is resolved, or even earlier if so requested.

The Chancellor of Justice will not investigate a complaint if five years or more have elapsed since the alleged violation, unless warranted by some special reason.

How are complaints dealt with?
Legally trained personnel process the complaints and obtain any necessary supplementary documentation. The Chancellor of Justice is entitled to approach any authority for information and documents, including material classified as secret.

The complainant is usually provided with an opportunity to file a reply to the respondent's reaction before the matter is finally resolved and will then receive a written decision or other statement by mail.

How are complaints resolved?
The Chancellor of Justice may

• issue a reprimand to an official or body;
• issue instructions on the proper procedure for future reference;
• in more serious cases, order that charges be brought against the official in question.

The Chancellor of Justice is not authorized to annul or amend a decision taken by an authority, nor can he order payment of damages. If a clear error is noted, the Chancellor of Justice will strive to have it corrected.

The Chancellor of Justice has the power, if he deems it necessary, to recommend amendment of provisions or regulations, to initiate proceedings to annul a court ruling or for some other extraordinary appeal.

The Chancellor of Justice is empowered to initiate disciplinary proceedings against a member of the Bar and has the right to appeal the decisions of the Board of Directors of the Finnish Bar Association on disciplinary matters.

An investigation carried out by the Chancellor of Justice may in itself result in the authority or public official himself or herself correcting an error.

A regular post address of the complainant must be added in a complaint lodged by e-mail.

The services of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice are free of charge to the complainant.

THE OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR OF JUSTICE
Street address: Snellmaninkatu 1, HELSINKI
Mailing address: PB 20, FIN-00023, GOVERNMENT, FINLAND
Phone: +358 9 16001
Fax: +358 9 160 23975
Registry: +358 9 160 23950
Information: +358 9 160 23955
E-mail: kirjaamo@okv.fi