Theoretical and Practical Issues of the Prohibition of Reformatio in Peius in Hungary

The requirement of the prohibition of reformatio in peius may arise taking into consideration several basic principles of the criminal procedure. In the Hungarian legal system, it is regulated under the procedure of the second instance, the procedure of the third instance, retrial, extraordinary legal remedies and even under some of the separate procedures. In addition to the criminal procedure, the reformatio in peius is regulated according to the law of infractions. However, the most important element of the prohibition of reformatio in peius is that it is a legal guarantee for the defence to be able to file an appeal without the risk that a judgment might be altered to the detriment of the accused. Therefore, the accused will have confidence that the appeal will not do wrong to his interest. At the same time, many counterarguments have been discussed regarding the prohibition of reformatio in peius, such as the violation of substantial justice and legality. This paper examines the reasons for the existence of the prohibition of reformatio in peius in the course of the criminal procedure.