Chương XI Bộ luật Tố tụng hình sự 2015: Khởi tố bị can và hỏi cung bị can

Chapter XI

FILING OF CHARGES AGAINST SUSPECTS AND SUSPECT INTERROGATION

Article 179. Filing of charges against suspects

1. When a person or juridical person is found on sufficient evidences to commit an act defined by the Criminal Code as a crime, investigation authorities shall decide to file charges against suspects.

2. A decision to charge a suspect shall specify time and location for the issuance of such decision; full name and position of the issuer; date of birth, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, residential place, occupation of the suspect; crimes against which the suspect is charged, Articles and Sections quoted from the Criminal Code; time, location and other facts of the crimes.

If the suspect is charged against multiple crimes, the decision to charge must specify each crime and Articles and relevant Sections quoted from the Criminal Code.

3. Investigation authorities, in 24 hours upon their decision to charge suspects, must send such decision and relevant documents on charges against suspects to the equivalent Procuracy for approval. The procuracy, in 03 days upon receiving a decision to charge suspects, shall approve or annul such decision or request additional evidences and documents that support its approval and respond to the investigation authority in prompt manner.

If the Procuracy requests further documents and documents, it shall, in 03 days upon receiving such additional evidences and documents, approve or annul the decision to charge suspects.

4. The procuracy, upon the exposure of a perpetrator committing uncharged acts defined as crimes by the Criminal Code, shall request investigation authorities to file charges against the suspect or, if investigation authorities do not respond to such request, shall directly press charges. The procuracy, in 24 hours upon issuing a decision to charge a suspect, must send such decision to investigation authorities for investigation.

The procuracy, when acquiring investigative documents and findings and uncovering other perpetrators of uncharged acts defined as crimes in the Criminal Code, shall press charges against such suspects and return documents to investigation authorities for further investigation.

5. Investigation authorities, upon receiving the Procuracy's decision to charge or approval of their decisions to charge the suspects, must promptly deliver such decision(s) and explain the suspects' rights and duties.

Investigation authorities, upon receiving the approval of their decisions to charge suspects, must take photographs and make identity records of accused persons for the case file.

The delivery of the said decisions shall be executed in writing as per Article 133 of this Law.

Article 180. Amendments to the decision on pressing charges against suspects

1. Investigation authorities or procuracies shall amend their decisions to charge suspects in one of the following events:

a) The suspects are evidently found not to commit charged crimes during the process of investigation;

b) A decision to charge contains incorrect full name, age and personal details of the suspects.

2. Investigation authorities and procuracies, if there are grounds on suspects’ commission of other acts defined as crimes in the Criminal Code, shall supplement their decisions to charge suspects.

3. Investigation authorities, in 24 hours upon altering or supplementing their decisions to charge suspects, must send such decisions and relevant documents to the equivalent Procuracy for approval. The procuracy, in 03 days upon receiving the said amendments or supplements to charges against suspects, shall approve or reject such amendments or supplements or request additional evidences and documents that support its approval and respond to investigation authorities in prompt manner.

If The procuracy requests further documents and documents, it shall, in 03 days upon receiving such additional evidences and documents, approve or reject the said amendments or supplements.

The procuracy, in 24 hours upon amending or supplementing charges against suspects, shall have investigation authorities informed for investigation.

4. Investigation authorities, upon obtaining the Procuracy’s amendments or supplements to charges or its approval or rejection of amendments or supplements, shall inform persons charges of such details.

The delivery of the said decisions shall be executed in writing as per Article 133 of this Law.

Article 181. Suspension of suspects from duty

Investigation authorities, units assigned to investigate and procuracies, when considering a suspect's holding of office as obstruction of investigation, shall be entitled to request authorities or organizations in control of suspects to suspend them from duty. The said authorities and organizations, in 07 days upon receiving such request, must respond in writing to investigation authorities, units assigned to investigate and procuracies that issuing the request.

Article 182. Summoning of suspects

1. Investigators, when convening a suspect, must send out a subpoena. A subpoena for a suspect shall specify the suspect’s full name and residential address; time, date and location for his appearance, schedule of tasks, contact individuals and liabilities for absence not due to force majeure or objective obstacles.

2. The subpoena shall be sent to local authorities at the commune, ward or town where the suspect resides or his workplace or educational facility. The authorities or organizations receiving the subpoena are held responsible for forwarding it to the suspect in prompt manner.

The suspect, when receiving the subpoena, must sign and date the recipient’s Section. The forwarder of the subpoena shall deliver the subpoena’s Section bearing the suspect’s signature to the authority issuing the subpoena. If the suspect does not affix signature, a written record of his non-compliance shall be made and sent to the summoning authority. If the subpoena cannot be delivered due to the suspect’s absence, it shall be given to his family member possessing legal capacity, who affixes signature and forward the paper to the suspect.

3. The suspect bear the obligation to appear as per the subpoena. Avoidance behavior or absence not due to force majeure or objective obstacles shall lead to investigators’ decision to deliver by force.

4. Procurators, if necessary, may convene suspects. Summoning of a suspect shall be governed by this Article.

Article 183. Suspect interrogation

1. Investigators, upon the issuance of a decision to charge a suspect, shall interrogate suspects. A suspect may be interrogated at the investigated scenes or at suspects' place of residence. Investigators, before interrogating a suspect, must inform procurators and defense counsels of the time and location for interrogation. Procurators, if necessary, shall participate in the suspect interrogation.

2. Investigators, before conducting the first session of interrogation, must explain to the suspect his rights and duties as defined in Article 60 of this Law. Such activities shall be recorded in writing.

If there are several suspects, they shall be separately interrogated and prevented from interacting with each other. A suspect may be permitted to write his statements.

3. Suspect interrogation does not occur at night, unless otherwise indispensable. Reasons must be clarified in the written record.

4. Procurators interrogate suspects, who claim innocence or complain of investigative activities, or in the presence of grounds showing investigative activities' non-compliance with laws or in other events deemed necessary. Procurators’ suspect interrogation shall be governed by this Article.

5. Investigators, investigation officers, procurators and checkers extorting statements and torturing suspects shall incur criminal liabilities as per the Criminal Code.

6. Suspect interrogation at a detention facility or the office of investigation authorities or units assigned to investigate shall be recorded by sound or sound-and-visual means.

Suspect interrogation at various places shall be recorded by sound or sound-and-visual means at the requests for the suspect or competent procedural authorities and persons.

Article 184. Written records of suspect interrogation

1. Every session of suspect interrogation shall be recorded in writing.

A written record of suspect interrogation shall be made according to Article 178 of this Law and contain all statements from the suspect, questions and answers. Investigators and investigation officers are inhibited to alter the suspect's statements.

2. Investigators and investigation officers, after conducting interrogation, shall read out the written record or let the suspect read it. If there are amendments to the written record, investigators, investigation officers and suspects shall affix signatures to endorse such. If a written record has several pages, the suspect shall sign every page. If the suspect writes the statement by himself, investigators, investigation officers and suspects shall affix signatures to endorse such self-declared statement.

3. If an interpreter attends the suspect interrogation, investigators and investigation officers must explain the interpreter's rights and duties and the suspect's right to change the interpreter. Every page of the interrogation record shall bear the interpreter’s signature.

If a defense counsel or representative of the suspect attends the interrogation, investigators and investigation officers must explain the attendees' rights and duties during the process of interrogation. Suspects, defense counsel or representative shall affix signatures onto the written record of interrogation. If the defense counsel is permitted to address questions to the suspect, the written record must contain all inquiries raised by the defense counsel and the suspect's responses.

4. If a procurator interrogates the suspect, the written record shall abide by this Article. The written record of suspect interrogation shall be promptly sent to investigators to be put into case files.