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Participants
Prosecutor
The public prosecutor brings a charge against the suspect and makes a demand for his or her punishment. For more information on the duties of the prosecutors, please see the prosecutor pages.
Defendant
The defendant, or the accused, is the person against whom the prosecutor brings a charge. In order to respond to the charge, the defendant must be present in person in the trial, In certain cases, the defendant can appoint an attorney without being required to be present in person. The district court will note in the summons whether the defendant must arrive in person. The defendant can also appoint an attorney.
Injured party
The injured party means the victim of the offence or a person incurring damage because of the offence. The injured party may claim compensation from the perpetrator. In most cases the prosecutor presents the claims for compensation on behalf of the injured party and therefore it is not always necessary that he or she is present in person. The injured party is summoned to the main hearing, if this is considered necessary. In other events, the injured party may arrive on a voluntary basis. When the injured party is being heard in court, he or she is under the obligation to keep to the truth.
Witness
A witness is a person whose observations or expertise are used for determining the course of events. The duty of the witness is to recount what he or she certainly remembers of the events and his or her own observations. The witness is not on the side of either party and thereby should not take the interests of either party into account when giving testimony. A witness may refuse to testify, if a close relative is a party to the matter. The summons must nevertheless always be obeyed. The witness will be compensated for the loss of income arising from the appearance in court and for travel costs; an allowance will also be paid.
The court sees to it that the parties and witnesses are served with the summonses and other notices well in advance of the hearing.
Updated on 30 January 2012