Fiskal

in the first third of the 18th century in Russia, a government official in the system of agencies charged with the administrative, financial, and legal supervision of all Russian institutions. The office was created in 1711 in response to the growing bureaucracy and governmental corruption. The fiskaly served under an ober-fiskal appointed by the tsar and subordinate to him. When the office of procurator-general was established in 1722, the fiskaly came under its jurisdiction; in 1723 they were placed under the control of the fiskal-general. The post was gradually abolished between the mid-1720’s and the early 1730’s, as the departments of the procurator’s office evolved. The fiskaly helped uncover a number of major misappropriations, although many were themselves guilty of abuses. The word fiskal became synonymous with “informer.”