Chương XVIII Bộ luật Tố tụng hình sự 2015: Những quy định chung

Chapter XVIII

GENERAL

Article 236. Duties and authorities of The procuracy exercising prosecution rights during the stage of prosecution

1. Decide to implement, alter or terminate preventive and coercive measures; request investigation authorities to issue wanted notices against suspects.

2. Request authorities and entities to provide documents related to the case when necessary

3. A Court returns 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. Moreover, its direct investigative activities can contribute to the verification and addition of documents and evidences for making decisions to prosecute.

4. Decide to press charges, amend or supplement decisions to file lawsuits or charges against suspects upon the detection of criminal acts or other offenders not charged or investigated.

5. Decide to return documents to investigation authorities for further investigation.

6. Decide to join and separate cases; transfer lawsuits to competent authorities for prosecution, implement summary procedures and civil commitment.

7. Decide to or not to extend the time limit for prosecution, and duration of preventive and coercive measures.

8. Decide to prosecute.

9. Decide to dismiss or adjourn cases; to dismiss or adjourn lawsuits against suspects; to resume cases or lawsuits against suspects.

10. Carry out other duties and powers to make decisions on prosecution as per this Law.

Article 237. Duties and authorities of The procuracy administering activities during the stage of prosecution

1. The procuracy, when administering activities during the stage of prosecution, bears these duties and authority:

a) Administer criminal proceedings of participants in legal procedure; request competent authorities and entities to implement strict measures against participants in legal proceedings, who breach laws;

b) Request concerned authorities and organizations to implement preventive measures against crimes and breach of laws;

c) Perform other duties and authority to administer activities during the stage of prosecution according to this Law.

2. Competent authorities and entities, in 10 days upon receiving requests as stated in Point a and Point b, Section 1 of this Article, shall be responsible for informing The procuracy of the their fulfillment of such requests.

Article 238. Delivery of case files and written conclusions of investigation

1. When investigation authorities and units assigned to investigate hand over case files and written conclusions of investigation for prosecution and evidences (if any), the Procuracy shall inspect and handle information in the following manner:

a) If case files and accompanying exhibits (if any) suffice according to the list of documents and evidences and suspects or their representatives receive the written conclusion of investigation, the Procuracy shall obtain case files;

b) If case files and accompanying exhibits (if any) do not suffice according to the list of documents and evidences, or the written conclusion of investigation is not given to suspects or their representatives, the Procuracy shall refuse to take in case files and request investigation authorities and units assigned to investigate to supplement documents and exhibits or to provide suspects or their representatives with the written conclusion of investigation.

2. The delivery of case files and written conclusion of investigation shall be executed in writing as per Article 133 of this Law and inputted into case files.

Article 239. The authority to prosecute

1. The procuracy exercising prosecution rights and administering investigative activities shall make decisions on prosecution. A procuracy’s authority to prosecute shall be subject to the Court's jurisdiction over the case.

If a case goes beyond a Procuracy's authority to prosecute, the Procuracy shall promptly decide to transfer the case to another competent Procuracy. A provincial People’s Procuracy or Military procuracy of a military zone shall decide the transfer of cases to procuracies out of the province, centrally-affiliated city or military zone.

A superior Procuracy shall decide to prosecute cases, against which it exercises prosecution rights and administer investigation. The superior Procuracy, in 02 month prior to the closure of the investigation, must inform the lower Procuracy, at the level equivalent to that of the first-instance Court having jurisdiction over the case, to assign procurators to examine case files. The superior Procuracy, when issuing a decision to prosecute, shall assign the lower Procuracy to exercise prosecution rights and administer the process of adjudication. The competent inferior Procuracy, upon receiving case files and charging documents, shall exercise prosecution rights and administer the process of adjudication as per this Law.

2. A Procuracy, in 03 days upon issuing a decision on case transfer, must inform in writing the investigation authority closing the investigation, suspects or their representatives, defense counsels, aggrieved persons and other participants in legal proceedings.

The delivery of case files and charging documents shall occur as per Section 2, Article 240 of this Law. In such event, the time limit for prosecution shall commence after the prosecutor authorized to prosecute receives case files.

Article 240. Time limit for the issuance of decisions to prosecute

1. A Procuracy, in 20 days for misdemeanors and felonies or 30 days for horrific and extremely severe felonies upon receiving case files and written conclusion of investigation, must make one of the following decisions:

a) Prosecute suspects in a Court;

b) Return documents for further investigation;

c) Dismiss or adjourn the case; dismiss or adjourn lawsuits against suspects;

The head of The procuracy, when necessary, may extend the time limit for the issuance of a decision to prosecute for 10 more days for misdemeanors or felonies or 15 more days for horrific felonies or at most 30 more days for extremely severe felonies.

2. The procuracy, in 03 days upon making one of the decisions as stated in Section 1 of this Article, must inform suspects, their defense counsels or representatives and crime victims of the return of documents for further investigation. Moreover, it shall in 03 days provide suspects or their representatives, investigation authorities and defense counsels with charging documents, decisions to adjourn or dismiss the case or lawsuit against suspects. Furthermore, it shall send notices to crime victims, litigants and protectors of their legitimate rights and benefits.

The delivery of the said documents shall be executed in writing according to Article 133 of this Law and be inputted in case files.

If the case is complex, the time limit for the delivery of charging documents and decisions on suspension or dismissal of the case to suspects or their representatives may be extended for 10 more days at most.

3. The decisions as stated in Section 1 of this Article, when made, must be promptly sent to the superior Procuracy. The head of the superior Procuracy shall be entitled to revoke, terminate or annul decisions deemed groundless or unlawful and to request the lower Procuracy to make lawful decisions.

Article 241. Implementation, alteration and termination of preventive and coercive measures

The procuracy, when receiving case files and written conclusion of investigation, shall be entitled to decide to implement, alter or terminate preventive and coercive measures according to this Law.

The time limit for preventive measures during the stage of prosecution shall not exceed that defined in Section 1, Article 240 of this Law.

Article 242. Joinder or separation in cases during the stage of prosecution

1. The procuracy shall decide to join issues into one case in the following events:

a) The suspect commits multiple crimes;

b) The suspect commits a crime in multiple times;

c) Several suspects commit one crime, or there are accomplices and accessories who conceal or fail to report the suspect or use property obtained by crime.

2. When the lawsuit against the suspect is suspended, the Procuracy shall decide to separate issues from a case in the following events, if separation is deemed not to affect the determination of unbiased and comprehensive truths:

a) Suspects abscond;

b) Suspects suffer from fatal diseases;

c) Civil commitment is imposed on suspects.