Bill: New rules for court cases in Greenland
Official title (in Danish): Forslag til lov om ændring af retsplejelov for Grønland og kriminallov for Grønland. (Ajourføring af retsplejelov for Grønland m.v.)
In short
Reading time: 1 min- What is proposed:
- This is a bill that has not yet been passed, and it proposes changing the administration of justice in Greenland.
- It concerns, among other things, lay judges, absence from court, appeals, and the deadline for reversing a decision to drop charges.
- Who would be affected: Suspects, defendants and witnesses in criminal cases, as well as parties in civil cases and debtors in Greenland.
- When: The bill has not been passed yet.
Written by AI from verbatim quotes from the source and checked by code and AI. Dates, tables and the fact box are calculated by fixed rules. Unofficial translation. Always read the original.
If the bill is passed:
- On request from the defendant, the chief judge may allow the defendant not to be present during the main hearing or part of it, if this is considered unproblematic.
- The deadline for reversing a decision to drop charges or to withdraw prosecution becomes 4 months instead of 3.
- Appeals against judgments from the Greenland Court in cases of up to DKK 50,000 require permission from the Procesbevillingsnævnet.
- It becomes prohibited to take photos outside court buildings of suspects, defendants and witnesses who are on their way to or from a court hearing in a criminal case, without consent.
Sources and original
Read the official text (in Danish) →
Source: the Danish Parliament (ft.dk)
Translated from Danish · The Danish version and the original source apply.
Summary by the Danish Parliament (in Danish)
Lovforslaget er fremsat efter aftale mellem regeringen og naalakkersuisut og har baggrund i »Aftale om domstolenes økonomi 2024-2027«, som regeringen (Socialdemokratiet, Venstre og Moderaterne) og Socialistisk Folkeparti, Danmarksdemokraterne, Liberal Alliance, Det Konservative Folkeparti, Enhedslisten, Dansk Folkeparti, Radikale Venstre, Alternativet og Nye Borgerlige indgik den 22. november 2023. Lovforslaget gennemfører de ændringer i den danske retsplejelov, som Justitsministeriet sammen med naalakkersuisut vurderer er relevante for Grønland, som opfølgning på Rørdamudvalget og anbefalinger fra Retsplejerådet. Dette lovforslag følger op på de anbefalinger, der blev gennemført ved lov nr. 200 af 25. februar 2025. Forslaget skal ajourføre og forenkle retsplejen i Grønland for at effektivisere domstolenes arbejde og bidrage til kortere sagsbehandlingstider. Det indebærer bl.a. regelforenklinger og præciseringer, herunder vedrørende regler om beskikkelse, og en forlængelse fra 3 til 4 måneder af fristen for at omgøre påtaleopgivelse og tiltalefrafald. Der foreslås også ændringer af reglerne om erstatningskrav og om betydningen af en gerningsmands tilståelse. Forslaget er en genfremsættelse af L 101 Folketingsåret 2025-26, 1. samling, med justeret ikrafttrædelse den 1. januar 2027.
Source: Folketinget (ft.dk). Reproduced unchanged.
Timeline
How to read the timeline
- Filled dot: this has happened. The date and the source are shown below the point.
- Empty dot: an upcoming step. The date may be known or not known yet.
- Square: the case ended here, e.g. because the bill was rejected or withdrawn.
- "The date is in the source, but entry into force has not been confirmed yet" (or just "not confirmed yet") means the date has passed, but the source does not yet show that the law or rule has entered into force. We only change the status when the source confirms it.
- Introduced · 7 October 2026Status in the Danish Parliament: Fremsat
- PassedAwaiting the Danish Parliament
- Enters into forceThe date is not known yet