The Centre for International Law Research & Policy (CILRP) presents a conference, Quality Control in Preliminary Examination:Reviewing Impact, Policies and Practices, in the Peace Palace, The Hague, June 13-14, 2017. Abstracts are due by Dec. 31, 2016.
We are pleased to present a new research project on challenges in pre-investigations or ‘preliminary examinations’. Such examinations are required to determine whether there is reasonable basis to proceed with criminal investigation. They afford the prosecution wide discretion – be it in national or international jurisdictions – and often involve a large degree of uncertainty for those directly concerned. The examinations may extend over a long period of time, and easily become a graveyard for reports on criminal conduct. While legal systems depend on the flexibility provided by discretionary power vested in lawyers, the sheer expanse of discretion in preliminary examination bolsters the power of the prosecutor vis-á-vis victims, judges, the public and, in international jurisdictions, the States concerned.
This research project – funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – aims to contribute to a better understanding of preliminary examinations, both in international and domestic settings.
