After the Prosecution arrives at a decision to charge, the accused person will be brought before a Criminal Court
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) has developed policy documents to enhance accountability, transparency and consistency. One such document is ‘The Decision to Charge Guidelines (DTC)'.
An accused person ought to be produced in court within twenty four (24) hours of being arrested, unless the 24 hours fall on a day
when courts are not in session.
The Trial process in Criminal Courts start by Plea Taking.
The Court reads out the charges against the accused; who will be required to respond by;
👉🏾Pleading Not Guilty
👉🏾Pleading Guilty
👉🏾Refusing to Plead
👉🏾Challenging the Charge
If the accused person agrees to the charges a plea of ‘Guilty’ is entered against him and the court proceeds to convict and pass its
sentence.
If the accused person denies the charges, a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ is entered, and the court proceeds to set bail terms for the accused
person.
-Fitness to Stand Trial-
However in certain charges (e.g. murder) the accused person will not take plea until his sanity is proven.
📌 This is a guide for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice 📌
Do you have questions? Email collinsogutulaw@gmail.com for help.
"De minimis non curat lex" is a latin phrase meaning -
"The law does not concern itself with trifles" or "The law will not remedy an injury that is minimal."
It's also known as the "De minimis rule."
It allows for ...
It allows for matters that are small scale or of insufficient importance to be exempted from a rule or requirement.
It can be used by the courts as an exclusionary tool to dismiss trivial matters from litigation.
In a criminal law matter, an offence may be dismissed on the basis it is de minimis if the facts alleged or proven are so trivial as to be beneath the court’s notice.
An example of this is Kamau being arraigned in court for paying Kshs 20 fare instead of Kshs 30.