Chapter III Initiation of Public Prosecution

Article 136 All cases requiring initiation of a public prosecution shall be examined for decision by the People's Procuratorates.

Article 137 In examining a case, a People's Procuratorate shall ascertain:

(1) whether the facts and circumstances of the crime are clear, whether the evidence is reliable and sufficient and whether the charge and the nature of the crime has been correctly determined;

(2) whether there are any crimes that have been omitted or other persons whose criminal responsibility should be investigated;

(3) whether it is a case in which criminal responsibility should not be investigated;

(4) whether the case has an incidental civil action; and

(5) whether the investigation of the case is being lawfully conducted.

Article 138 A People's Procuratorate shall make a decision within one month on a case that a public security organ has transferred to it with a recommendation to initiate a prosecution; an extension of a half month may be allowed for major or complex cases.

If jurisdiction over a case to be examined and prosecuted by a People's Procuratorate is altered, the time limit for examination and prosecution shall be calculated from the date on which another People's Procuratorate receives the case after the alteration.

Article 139 When examining a case, the People's Procuratorate shall interrogate the criminal suspect and heed the opinions of the victim and of the persons entrusted by the criminal suspect and the victim.

Article 140 In examining a case, the People's Procuratorate may request a public security organ to provide the evidence that is essential to the trial in court.

In examining a case that requires supplementary investigation, the People's Procuratorate may remand the case to a public security organ for supplementary investigation or conduct the investigation itself.

In cases where supplementary investigation is to be conducted, it shall be completed within one month. Supplementary investigation may be conducted twice at most. When supplementary investigation is completed and the case is transferred to the People's Procuratorate, the time limit for examination and prosecution shall be recalculated by the People's Procuratorate.

With respect to a case for which supplementary investigation has been conducted, if the People's Procuratorate still believes that the evidence is insufficient and the case does not meet the conditions for initiation of a prosecution, the People's Procuratorate may decide not to initiate a prosecution.

Article 141 When a People's Procuratorate considers that the facts of a criminal suspect's crime have been ascertained, that the evidence is reliable and sufficient and that criminal responsibility should be investigated according to law, it shall make a decision to initiate a prosecution and shall, in accordance with the provisions for trial jurisdiction, initiate a public prosecution in a People's Court.

Article 142 If a criminal suspect is found to be under one of the circumstances provided in Article 15 of this Law, the People's Procuratorate shall make a decision not to initiate a prosecution.

With respect to a case that is minor and the offender need not be given criminal punishment or need be exempted from it according to the Criminal Law, the People's Procuratorate may decide not to initiate a prosecution.

With respect to a case for which the People's Procuratorate has decided not to initiate a prosecution, the People's Procuratorate shall, at the same time, cancel the seizure or freeze of the property or things of value seized or frozen during the period of investigation. If the person against whom prosecution is not to be initiated need be given administrative penalty or administrative sanction or his illegal gains need be confiscated, the People's Procuratorate shall make suggestions to such an effect and transfer the case to the competent organ for handling. The competent organ shall, without delay, inform the People's Procuratorate of how it has handled the case.

Article 143 A decision not to initiate a prosecution shall be announced publicly, and the decision shall, in written form, be delivered to the person who is not to be prosecuted and his unit. If the said person is in custody, he shall be released immediately.

Article 144 With respect to a case transferred by a public security organ for prosecution, if the People's Procuratorate decides not to initiate a prosecution, it shall deliver the decision in writing to the public security organ. If the public security organ considers that the decision not to initiate a prosecution is wrong, it may demand reconsideration, and if the demand is rejected, it may submit the matter to the People's Procuratorate at the next higher level for review.

Article 145 If the People's Procuratorate decides not to initiate a prosecution with respect to a case that involves a victim, it shall send the decision in writing to the victim. If the victim refuses to accept the decision, he may, within seven days after receiving the written decision, present a petition to the People's Procuratorate at the next higher level and request the latter to initiate a public prosecution. The People's Procuratorate shall notify the victim of its decision made after reexamination. If the People's Procuratorate upholds the decision not to initiate a prosecution, the victim may bring a lawsuit to a People's Court. The victim may also bring a lawsuit directly to a People's Court without presenting a petition first. After the People's Court has accepted the case, the People's Procuratorate shall transfer the relevant case file to the People's Court.

Article 146 If the person against whom a People's Procuratorate decides, in accordance with the provisions of the second paragraph of Article 142 of this Law, not to initiate a prosecution still refuses to accept the decision, he may present a petition to the People's Procuratorate within seven days after receiving the written decision. The People's Procuratorate shall make a decision to conduct a reexamination, notify the person against whom no prosecution is to be initiated and at the same time send a copy of the decision to the public security organ.