Chương XIX Bộ luật Tố tụng hình sự 2015: Quyết định việc truy tố bị can

Chapter XIX

DECISION TO PROSECUTE SUSPECTS

Article 243. Decision to prosecute suspects

The procuracy shall decide to prosecute a suspect in a Court through charging documents.

Charging documents shall detail the progress and acts of crime; evidences clarifying suspects’ crimes, their artifices, motives, purposes, nature and degree of damage caused by the crimes; preventive and coercive measures enforced, altered or terminated; factors aggravating and mitigating criminal liabilities, traits and personal record of suspects; seizure and impoundment of documents and items, handling of evidences; reasons and circumstances leading to the crimes and other facts significant to the case.

The conclusion of the charging documents shall specify offence titles and articles, sections and points quoted from the Criminal Code.

Charging documents shall specify their date of issuance, full name and position of the person releasing such documents and bear his signature.

Article 244. Transfer of case files and charging documents to the Court

The procuracy, in 03 days upon issuing charging documents, must submit case files and charging documents to the Court. The time limit for filing papers and charging documents of a complex case in the Court may be extended for 10 more days at most.

If suspects are in detention, the Procuracy shall, in 07 days prior to the end of the detention, inform the Court to consider and decide the detention of such suspects before obtaining case files.

Article 245. Return of case files for further investigation

1. The procuracy shall decide to return case files and request investigation authorities to conduct further investigative activities in one of the following events:

a) Evidences do not suffice to evince one of the matters as stated in Article 85 of this Law; however, the Procuracy fails to supplement evidences by itself;

b) There are justifications to press charges against the suspect for one or many crimes;

c) Accomplices or other offenders related to the case have not been charged;

d) Serious violations of legal procedure occur.

2. A decision to return documents and request further investigation must detail additional issues to be investigated according to Point 1 of this Article and Point 2, Article 132 of this Law.

3. Investigation authorities shall be responsible for fulfilling requests that are stated in the Procuracy’s decision to return documents for further investigation. If they fail to accomplish the requests due to force majeure or objective obstacles, reasons of such failure must be clearly reported in writing.

Investigation authorities, when closing additional investigation, shall conclude such investigation in writing. The written conclusion of the additional investigation shall specify additional findings and standpoints for the settlement of the case. If the additional findings basically conflict with previous ones, investigation authorities shall issue a new conclusion of investigation to replace the old one.

The transfer of case files and additional conclusion of investigation to The procuracy and the delivery of notices of additional findings shall be governed by Article 232 and Article 238 of this Law

Article 246. Handling of the Court’s request for further investigation

If the Court decides to return case files and request further investigation, the Procuracy shall consider justifications for further investigation and handle such request in the following manner:

1. The Court reach a justified decision to return documents to investigation authorities, which The procuracy deems unnecessary, for further investigation; therefore, the Procuracy is entitled to directly carry out certain activities of investigation to supplement documents and evidences. However, the Procuracy, if unable to conduct further investigation, shall forward documents to investigation authorities for additional investigative activities.

If additional findings alter the fundamentals of existing charging documents, the Procuracy shall redress such documents and convey documents to the Court.  If additional findings lead to the dismissal of the case, the Procuracy shall decide to have the case dismissed and send a notice to the Court;

2. The procuracy, if finding no justifications for the return of documents for further investigation, shall state its reasons, maintain the decision to prosecute and send documents back to the Court.

Article 247. Suspension of cases

1. The procuracy shall decide to suspend a case in the following events:

b) If judicial expert examination finds that the suspect suffer from mental illness or fatal diseases, the case may be suspended prior to the expiration of the time limit for the issuance of a decision to prosecute;

b) Though the time limit for issuing a decision to prosecute expires, the suspect absconds to an unknown location. In this event, investigation authorities shall be requested to release a wanted notice against the suspect prior to the suspension of the case. The search for the suspect shall abide by Article 231 of this Law;

c) Time limit for issuing a decision to prosecute expires while expert examination, valuation process or judicial assistance, though requested, does not progress. In such event, expert examination, valuation process and judicial assistance shall continue until results are achieved.

2. A decision to suspend a case must specify reasons and justifications for suspension, relevant details and other matters as stated in Section 2, Article 132 of this Law.

If there are several suspects in one case but the reason for case suspension does not apply to all of them, the lawsuit against each suspect shall be suspended separately.

Article 248. Dismissal of cases

1. The procuracy shall decide not to prosecute and to dismiss the case when possessing one of the justifications as defined in Section 2, Article 155 and Article 157 of this Law or as stated in Article 16 or Article 19 or Section 2, Article 91 of the Criminal Code.

2. A decision to dismiss a case must specify reasons and justifications for the dismissal of the case, termination of preventive and coercive measures, handling of evidences, documents and items impounded (if any), other relevant matters and other details as stated in Section 2, Article 132 of this Law. If there are many suspects in one case but the justifications for case dismissal do not apply to all of them, the case shall be dismissed separately for each suspect.

Article 249. Resumption of cases

1. The procuracy, when having justifications to annul the decision to suspend or dismiss a case, shall decide to resume the case if the prescriptive period for criminal prosecution remains effective. If the case is dismissed according to Section 5 and Section 6, Article 157 of this Law without the consent of the suspect who petitions for case resumption, the Procuracy shall decide to resume the case. The case can be resumed fully or partly against each suspect.

2. A decision to resume a case must specify reasons and justifications for case resumption, relevant matters and details as stated in Section 2, Article 132 of this Law.

3. The procuracy, in 03 days upon making the decision, shall send the decision to resume case or lawsuit against a suspect to the suspect, his defense counsel or representative, authorities closing the investigation; and send a notice to the crime victims, litigants and protectors of their legitimate rights and benefits.

The delivery of the decision to resume the case or lawsuit against the suspect shall be executed in writing and inputted into the case file.

4. The time limit for issuing a decision to prosecute upon the resumption of the case shall be subject to universal stipulations in this Law and commence upon the Procuracy’s issuance of the decision to resume the case.

5. The procuracy, when resuming a case, shall be entitled to enforce, alter or terminate preventive and coercive measures as per this Law.

If there are justifications for detention as per this Law, the duration of detention for the resumption of the case shall not exceed the time limit for the issuance of a decision to prosecute.