Indictment

The indictment is the document by which the public prosecutor opens the public case where the evidence gathered creates sufficient suspicion that an offence was committed. The suspect's identity, the offence charged with the relevant statutory provisions, the evidence, the narrative of the events and the punishment sought are its mandatory elements.

The document must explain the events constituting the offence in connection with the evidence, and must include matters favouring the accused as well as those against. The court examines it within the statutory period and may return it if deficient. Acceptance opens the trial phase, and the suspect becomes the accused.

The trial is confined to the act described in the indictment: the accused cannot be convicted of an event it does not narrate. This limitation guarantees that the defence knows what it must answer. Service of the document on the accused and its reading at the hearing mark the starting point of the defence's preparation.