Openbaar Ministerie

The Public Prosecution Service^[1] (Dutch: Openbaar Ministerie, OM) is the body of public prosecutors in the Netherlands. Together with the judges, it forms the judiciary in the Dutch criminal justice system.

The literal translation of Openbaar Ministerie, "Public Ministry", can lead to a misunderstanding, as the OM is not a ministry like the Ministry of Finance.

The Public Prosecution Service decides who has to appear in front of the judge and for which offence or crime. It is the body that can decide to prosecute someone. The main domain of the OM is criminal law. The OM does not concern itself with civil law cases like job termination or neighbour disputes. In by far the majority of cases, the OM only comes into the picture when an offence has been committed.

References

1. ^ This is the English translation used by the Openbaar Ministerie itself. "About the Public Prosecution Service". http://www.om.nl/vast_menu_blok/english/about_the_public/. Retrieved 2011-05-28.