Anatoly Fydorovich Koni – the head of the criminal-cassation department of the Senate

Abstract

Introduction. From 1885 to 1896 the Criminal Cassation Department of the Senate was headed by Chief Prosecutor A. F. Koni. The work is devoted to the role of Anatoly Fedorovich Koni in changing the system of judicial administration of the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century. The relevance of the work lies in the fact that many of the ideas of the pre-revolutionary prosecutor are important in our time. Separate proposals for the best organization of the court developed by Koni were used in Soviet times and later, up to the present day. The purpose of the study is to establish the main aspects of the managerial activity of a young prosecutor. To do this, we determine the main directions of work of the officials of the Ministry of Justice in the highest court of the empire. Materials and Methods. During the study, we used the problem-chronological method. It is based on sources previously not included in scientific circulation. This determines the scientific novelty of the work. Analysis. As a result of the study, applying the method and using a wide range of sources, we found that the administrative work of A. F. Koni consisted in the development of local regulations that improve the quality of work of subordinate officials. It also consisted in asserting the authority of the judicial and prosecutorial authorities, which the famous lawyer successfully achieved, in regular supervisory inspections of ward institutions (prisons, etc.), a general restructuring of office work part of the justice authorities, the execution of higher orders and other powers. Results. It can be concluded that the active young implementer of the judicial reform of 1864 reached the top of the prosecutor’s career, quickly overcoming the administrative steps. No failures (the case of Vera Zasulich, etc.) stopped his progress. His popularity exceeded his formal official position. Koni took an active part in the development of dozens of normative acts of the empire, acquired numerous connections among the higher elite and proved to be a good leader.

Keywords

• a. f. koni
• chief prosecutor
• senate
• criminal cassation department
• chief secretary
• judicial department
• justices of the peace