In Germany, the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court ("Oberlandesgericht", "OLG") has decided that pre-trial detention can also be extended if the trial has to be postponed because of COVID-19 measures (OLG Karlsruhe, Decision dated 30 March 2020, Reference No. HEs 1 Ws 84/20). According to German Criminal Procedue Law, pre-trial detention may only exceed six months if there is an important reason for a delay in passing a sentence. In its decision the Karlsruhe OLG argued that the postponement of a trial was justified because of a high risk of infection for a large number of people involved in the proceedings.
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