Being a party to a criminal process

The victim of a criminal offence is referred to as the injured party. The person suspected of having committed a criminal offence is referred to as the suspect during the pre-trial investigation and as the accused, or the defendant, at the trial. Furthermore, the prosecutor is one of the parties at the trial. The prosecutor does not form part of the court staff.

A person who has first-hand observations or information on the matter subject to court proceedings can be heard as a witness during the pre-trial investigation and at the trial. A witness is not a party to a criminal case, neither is he or she allowed to be present at the trial in question, except for when giving his or her testimony.