Prosecutor’s Office as the Fourth Power: Between the Law and Influ- ence onto Other Branches of Power

The focus of this article is on the special legal and political status of the prosecutor's Office, which makes it possible to speak of it as a kind of fourth power. In the modern state system, the prosecutor's office acts not only as a guarantor of legalit y, but also as an entity capable of exerting significant influence on the activities of other branches of government. The author examines the evolution of perceptions about the role of the prosecutor’s office, analyzes its supervisory powers and real mecha nisms for influencing decision making. Examples from Russian and foreign practice are given, which make it possible to identify the specifics of institutional independence and, at the same time, hidden forms of dependence. Particular attention is paid to t he problem of the boundary between legality and expediency in the activities of the prosecutor s office. The article raises the issue of the need to develop clearer criteria for the accountability of the prosecutor s office to society while maintaining its functional autonomy.