Self-reading process
The self-reading procedure is a form of evidence gathering in German criminal procedural law, in which a document serving as evidence is not introduced into the main hearing by reading it out , as is the case with conventional documentary evidence , but this reading is replaced by the fact that the judges and lay judges use the wording of the document or the Have taken note of the document and the other parties involved had the opportunity to do so.
The self-reading procedure is regulated in Section 249 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The public prosecutor , the defendant or the defense counsel can object to the presiding judge's order to insert a document into the main hearing by self-reading . The court decides on an objection to be raised immediately. An interim legal remedy can be raised against the chairman's order to carry out the self-reading procedure. It is also possible that the consent of all parties involved is first declared on the record and then a court order is brought about.
