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Criminal defence and fast-track proceedings
Understand the charge before making decisions.
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Principle of legality
Meaning and relationship to your legal situation.
What it means
A person may be punished only for conduct already defined as an offence and by a penalty established by law. Criminal interpretation has limits and cannot extend the law by analogy to the defendant’s detriment.
Legal reference
Disclosure explanation. The linked standard allows you to consult the full text and its versions. Checked 3 November 2026.