The trial stage starts when the court receives your case and continues until the final judgement of the final court instance is taken.

Appeals for decisions and judgments

All decisions and judgments of lower courts can be appealed before a higher court unless stated otherwise in the Criminal Procedure Act. It is very important to observe the time limits allowed for the appeals. Decisions can be appealed within 15 days, if the law does not prescribe differently. Judgments can be appealed within 300 days of the date that you received the decision.

Time-limits for complaints

Most of the appeals and complaints have a time-limit for their submission. These time limits are usually determined by law and they must be indicated in the decision you are appealing. 

However, some complaints do not have a specific time limit, because the issues you are complaining about can be discovered at any point during the trial. These complaints should be submitted as soon as possible after you have found out about any potential violation of your rights. 

example If you have found out about reasons why a judge in your case may not be objective or impartial, you should raise that issue as soon as possible.

Reasonable length of trial

If you consider that your trial exceeds time limits that are reasonable, you should write an application to the president of that court. 

If you trial has already taken unreasonably long, you should ask the court to reduce your sentence in the event of your conviction.

Resources

Last updated 06/10/2021