When and where can you get a judgment from the trial? Can you appeal the judgment?
In a criminal case the judgment can be delivered at the end of the trial, even on the same day, when the judge orally explains the content of the judgment to the parties present and the public. At this stage, the party can still separately request that the judgment also is sent in writing (if, for example, the party needs a written decision to apply for damages). The party must therefore give the email address to the district court to send the judgment. If the party has an attorney, the district court sends the judgment to the attorney.
Most often, the district court still gives the judgment as a reserved judgment, i.e. the judge tells you at the end of the session which day the judgment will be delivered. This day is usually within about two weeks from the oral session. At this stage, the judge asks the present parties for their contact details to send the judgment and the judgment is usually sent by email. If the party has an attorney, the district court sends the reserved judgment to the attorney, who then notifies this to his client.
Can you appeal the court’s judgment?
Yes, it is possible to appeal the district court’s judgment to the Court of Appeal either directly or by asking for leave for continued consideration. In connection with every judgment, the district court gives instructions on how to appeal and where the appeal document should be sent.
If you want to appeal the judgment of the district court you must remember to first, either orally or in writing, give a notice of intent to appeal within 7 days of the judgment to the district court. Oikeus.fi: Form for the notice of intent to appeal (in Finnish and Swedish)
The actual written appeal must be sent to the district court within 30 days of the delivery of the judgment.
To which instance should the appeal be sent?
The appeal document is always addressed to the next instance. For example, an appeal against a judgment of the district court is addressed to the Court of Appeal, but the appeal document must be sent to the district court. Read more: Tuomioistuinlaitos: Appeal against a decision of the district court
A leave to appeal shall be requested against the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the judgment is then appealed to the Supreme Court. In this case, the appeal is also addressed to the Supreme Court, but the appeal document is sent to the Court of Appeal. The application for leave to appeal and the appeal shall be submitted within 60 days of the decision of the Court of Appeal. Korkeinoikeus.fi: Leave to appeal and the appeal
How to appeal?
When appealing it is good to use the help of a lawyer so that it is prepared correctly and sent to the right instance within the time limit. An appeal that is submitted too late will not be processed. Read more: Tuomioistuinlaitos: Appeal
FAQ
Is it possible to find out when the perpetrator is serving his/her prison sentence?
If the perpetrator is imprisoned by sentence, this is stated in the sentence. Otherwise, information about when the perpetrator is imprisoned is not public. However, certain crime victims have the right to get information about when the perpetrator is released from prison. Read more: Oikeus.fi: Notification of the release of a prisoner or a remand prisoner
Can relatives get documents or records from open sessions?
In general, trials, documents and judgments are public, i.e. anyone has the right to receive information about them. Read more about the publicity of trials and documents: Oikeus.fi: Publicity in general courts
How much does it cost to order a document?
Copies of court decisions are subject to a fee for outsiders. If the document already exists in an electronic format and it is requested by email, no fee is charged unless special measures are required to send the document (for example, encryption of the data). Information about the fees
Summary
The decision of the trial can be given orally at the end of the session, whereby the party only receives the judgment in writing upon separate request. If the judgment is given later, it is usually sent to the parties by email.
You can appeal the decision to the next instance and the appeal must be submitted within the time limit according to the instructions for appeal. When preparing the appeal, it is good to contact a lawyer so that the appeal is prepared correctly and sent to the right instance within the time limit.