Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - The number of applications from Hessian public prosecutors for an accelerated procedure fell significantly during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic compared to previous years. The decisive factor was probably that there were fewer suitable crimes due to the effects of the corona restrictions, the Ministry of Justice in Wiesbaden explained at the request of former AfD MP Rainer Rahn.
According to the ministry, prosecutors filed between 521 and 754 requests for expedited procedures in 2017 and 2019. In 2020 there were only 348 cases, a year later only 359 cases.
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the public prosecutor's office can apply for "a decision in accelerated proceedings" in proceedings before the criminal judge and the court with lay judges if the matter is suitable for immediate hearing due to the simple facts or the clear evidence. There should be no more than six weeks between the receipt of the application by the court and the start of the main hearing.
