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In criminal cases of minor importance, the public prosecutor's office can - except in the case of juveniles - apply to the criminal court judge to issue a summary penalty order instead of filing an indictment. The summary penalty order procedure is a procedure without a trial. However, if the defendant lodges an objection to a penalty order issued by the court, a main hearing will be scheduled. The court is not bound by the verdict contained in the penalty order in the subsequent judgment; the decision may therefore be less favorable for the accused.
An appeal against the penalty order may be lodged in writing or on the record at the court that issued the penalty order within two weeks of service.
Objection
You can file a report if you believe that a criminal offense has been committed. Online reporting is possible for online auction fraud and certain crimes involving bicycles or motor vehicles, among other things.
The criminal divisions of the regional courts decide on appeals against the criminal verdicts of the criminal judge and the lay assessor's court.
The criminal divisions of the regional courts are the first instance courts responsible for hearing and deciding certain serious criminal cases.