The Cabinet approved Friday a revised bill that allows prosecutors to appeal a court’s retrial order only in exceptional cases, paving the way for the retrial system to be revised for the first time since it was introduced in 1949.
The bill bans prosecutors from appealing the court order “in principle,” leaving room for them to do so only if there is “sufficient reasoning.” If they do, the Justice Ministry will be obligated to publicly disclose the reasons behind the decision, raising the hurdle for prosecutors to appeal the orders.
The revised bill on the criminal procedural law also added that the judges would need to make an effort to come to a conclusion within a year of the prosecutors making the appeal.