Questionnaire Estonia

I.5 Can the prosecution service exercise influence on the choice of the police to investigate or not to investigate?

The Prosecutor General can issue guidelines in order to guarantee an efficient (pre-trial) procedure but up to now priorities have been set in meetings between the heads of the PO and police (also for 2005). Therefore, there are no written instructions concerning investigation. As Estonia follows the principle of mandatory investigation (sect. 6 CCP) the PO does not have a say in whether to investigate or not. However, it can influence which crimes are to be investigated in the first line.