CASE HANDLING

1. Legislation
The office is subject to Danish legislation such as the Penal Code, the Administration of Justice Act and the Administrative Act. An act is punishable in Denmark if the Penal Code has criminalized the act. International conventions and foreign criminal codes may contain rules that apply to Danish legislation.

This implies that coercive measures and decisions on whether to prosecute or discontinue investigations are applied only on conditions applicable to crimes committed in Denmark.

Investigations abroad and cooperation with foreign countries follow rules set up by convention or ad hoc negociations.

2. Method of work
Through cooperation with authorities and collaborators here and abroad SICO seek to track down people suspected of having committed or witnessed or even been victims of crimes that should be investigated by this office. Concurrently with this we methodically gather and process information about the countries where the crimes may have been committed.

When a complaint is received we screen it immediately in order to determine if it falls under SICO's field of activity, whether the reported act is also a crime in Denmark and if criminal liability is statute-barred.

A case might be forwarded to another authority in Denmark or abroad if our office is unable to handle it.

Cases that fall under our field of activity are handed over to the investigation and prosecution group who will draw up a plan followed by an assessment of the expected time frame. The aim of an investigation is to determine if there is evidence enough to prosecute or if the investigation should be closed.

Decisions follow the rules applied to criminal cases in The Administration of Justice Act sections 742, 721 and 749.