There are three stages to every prosecution: first a pre-trial chamber of three judges evaluates the evidence to determine whether it is sufficient to issue an arrest warrant.
In November 2015, he avoided prosecution for smoking inside the chambers of city council because, his defense attorney argued, it was "selective prosecution".
Asked by the prosecution whether he accepted the previous chamber's ruling, Demurenko said he had "too much respect for the court to challenge its ruling".
Upon the Trial Chamber's request, the Prosecution submitted on 19 January 2004 its analysis (with respect to relevance and reliability), and the Amici Curiae on 16 February 2004 identified 15 intercepts to be assessed for their authenticity by a court-appointed expert.
MPs' immunity from prosecution applies only to what happens in the chamber of the Commons, exempting them from being sued for libel for what is said there, for example.
After the judgment Chambers's supporters accused the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of wasting public funds in pursuing its action against the trainee accountant.
The step was a prelude to a formal request that the chamber strip Mr. Gudkov of immunity from prosecution.
Judge Patricia Wald of the United States, who presided over the appeals chamber, said in her summary that the prosecution had omitted crucial details when it amended the indictment of the two brothers.
After the judge's ruling, the prosecution said that documents would be provided to Mr. Chambers in the next few days.
Tribunal judges are not bound by the sentence that the prosecution and defense propose as part of a deal, but no chamber has yet gone outside the suggested range.
Speaking of which, in 2001 Cambodia and the United Nations created the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea.
