Chapter IV Procedure for Review of Death Sentences

Article 199 Death sentences shall be subject to approval by the Supreme People's Court.

Article 200 A case of first instance where an Intermediate People's Court has imposed a death sentence and the defendant does not appeal shall be reviewed by a Higher People's Court and submitted to the Supreme People's Court for approval. If the Higher People's Court does not agree with the death sentence, it may bring the case up for trial or remand the case for retrial.

Cases of first instance where a Higher People's Court has imposed a death sentence and the defendant does not appeal, and cases of second instance where a death sentence has been imposed shall all be submitted to the Supreme People's Court for approval.

Article 201 A case where an Intermediate People's Court has imposed a death sentence with a two-year suspension of execution, shall be subject to approval by a Higher People's Court.

Article 202 Reviews by the Supreme People's Court of cases involving death sentences and reviews by a Higher People's Court of cases involving death sentences with a suspension of execution shall be conducted by collegial panels each composed of three judges.

Chapter V Procedure for Trial Supervision

Article 203 A party or his legal representative or his near relative may present a petition to a People's Court or a People's Procuratorate regarding a legally effective judgment or order, however, execution of the judgment or order shall not be suspended.

Article 204 If a petition presented by a party or his legal representative or his near relative conforms to any of the following conditions, the People's Court shall retry the case:

(1) There is new evidence to prove that the confirmation of the facts in the original judgment or order is definitely wrong;

(2) The evidence upon which the condemnation was made and punishment meted out is unreliable and insufficient, or the major pieces of evidence for supporting the facts of the case contradict each other;

(3) The application of law in making the original judgment or order is definitely incorrect; or

(4) The judges in trying the case committed acts of embezzlement, bribery, or malpractices for personal gain, or bended the law in making judgment.

Article 205 If the president of a People's Court at any level finds some definite error in a legally effective judgment or order of his court as to the determination of facts or application of law, he shall refer the matter to the judicial committee for handling.

If the Supreme People's Court finds some definite error in a legally effective judgment or order of a People's Court at any lower level, or if a People's Court at a higher level finds some definite error in a legally effective judgment or order of a People's Court at a lower level, it shall have the power to bring the case up for trial itself or may direct a People's Court at a lower level to conduct a retrial.

If the Supreme People's Procuratorate finds some definite error in a legally effective judgment or order of a People's Court at any level, or if a People's Procuratorate at a higher level finds some definite error in a legally effective judgment or order of a People's Court at a lower level, it shall have the power to present a protest to the People's Court at the same level against the judgment or order in accordance with the procedure for trial supervision.

With respect to a case protested by a People's Procuratorate, the People's Court that has accepted the protest shall form a collegial panel for retrial; if the facts, on the basis of which the original judgment was made, are not clear or the evidence is not sufficient, it may direct the People's Court at the lower level to try the case again.

Article 206 A new collegial panel shall be formed for the retrial of a case by a People's Court in accordance with the procedure for trial supervision. If the case was originally one of first instance, it shall be tried in accordance with the procedure of first instance and the new judgment or order may be appealed or protested. If the case was originally one of second instance or was brought up for trial by a People's Court at a higher level, it shall be tried in accordance with the procedure of second instance and the judgment or order rendered shall be final.

Article 207 With respect to a case retried by a People's Court in accordance with the procedure for trial supervision, it shall conclude the trial within three months from the day on which it makes the decision to bring the case up for trial itself or on which the decision is made for it to retry the case. If it is necessary to extend the time limit, the period shall not exceed six months.

The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply to the time limit for the trial of a protested case that is accepted by a People's Court and is to be tried by it in accordance with the procedure for trial supervision. Where it is necessary to direct a People's Court at a lower level to try a protested case again, a decision to such an effect shall be made within one month from the day on which the protested case is accepted; the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply to the time limit for the trial of the case by the People's Court at the lower level.