The suspect and the accused

The person suspected of having committed a criminal offence is referred to as the suspect during the pre-trial investigation and as the defendant, or the accused, at the trial.

A suspect is not under obligation to contribute to the investigation of the offence of which they are suspected. This means that a person suspected of an offence is not required to testify in their own case, nor are they required to assist in any way in establishing their guilt.

However, in order to investigate a crime, the police*, prosecutor and court may subject the suspect to a variety of coercive measures such as arrest, detention on remand and home search. Since coercive measures affect the basic rights of the person in question, the Coercive Measures Act lays down detailed provisions on such measures and their prerequisites.

Even during the pre-trial investigation, the prosecutor should also contribute to ensuring the legal protection of the suspect and other parties in the case.

*or other pre-trial investigation authorities such as Customs, the Border Guard or the Defence Forces

Detention on remand

A district court may order that a person suspected of an offence with probable cause be detained on remand pending trial.

The detention on remand ends when the court hands down its ruling in the case. The court may decide, even before the trial, that the prerequisites for detention no longer apply. In that case, the suspect is allowed to remain at liberty awaiting trial.

Read more about detention on remand and other coercive measures on the oikeus.fi website.

A suspect during the consideration of charges

The average duration of the consideration of charges is between 2 and 3 months. The prosecutor may resolve some straightforward criminal cases very quickly, whilst others take much longer.

If you are a suspect in a criminal case, you will not receive a separate notification stating when the prosecutor has taken up your case. If the prosecutor decides to waive charges, you will be notified of this decision. If the prosecutor decides to waive charges, the victim of the offence still has the right to bring charges themselves.

If the prosecutor has decided to bring charges, he or she will submit an application for a summons to the district court, and the case will be heard there.

If a suspect is charged

If the prosecutor brings charges against you, you will receive a summons from the prosecutor or district court. This explains what you are accused of, when the case will be heard and where.

You have the right to use legal counsel.

Read more about the rights of defendants and the use of legal counsel in court on the oikeus.fi website.

An accused person at the district court

Once the case has been referred to the district court, all communication regarding the case is the court’s responsibility. If you have any questions regarding court proceedings, please contact the district court.

You can also read on the Finnish courts’ website about what happens during a court hearing and in what order.