Timeliness of criminal indictments and preventive arrest extensions submitted on the final day of the statutory procedural deadline

The High Court of Cassation and Justice, in a mandatory decision issued by the panel for ruling on appeals in the interest of the law, admitted the appeal filed by the General Prosecutor and established a uniform interpretation regarding procedural deadlines in criminal cases. The dispute concerned the validity of submitting an indictment charging an accused for whom a preventive measure had been ordered, or a proposal to extend the duration of preventive arrest or house arrest, on the final day of the statutory period. The Court determined that such submissions are not considered timely when made in the last day of the deadline, which is calculated in accordance with the specific temporal rules of the Code of Criminal Procedure. This ruling provides a binding directive for all lower courts, resolving the ambiguity surrounding whether actions taken on the expiry date itself are effective or void under the relevant procedural articles governing preventive measures and trial referrals.