Information Note on the Court’s case-law No.
February 1991
Girolami v. Italy - 13324/87
Judgment 19.2.1991
Article 6
Article 6-1
Reasonable time
Length of criminal proceedings: violation
[This summary is extracted from the Court’s official reports (Series A or Reports of Judgments and Decisions). Its formatting and structure may therefore differ from the Case-Law Information Note summaries.]
I.ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION ("reasonable time")
A.Period to be taken into consideration
Starting-point: order for applicant's arrest.
Close: expiry of time-limit for an appeal by prosecuting authorities.
Total: approximately eight years (after deduction of period for which applicant was on the run).
B.Applicable criteria
Reasonableness of length of proceedings: to be assessed in the light of the particular circumstances of the case, which in this instance called for overall assessment.
Applicant's flight served to slow down proceedings, but case not a complex one and there was at least one long period of stagnation attributable to the competent authorities.
Conclusion: violation (unanimously).
II.ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION
Non-pecuniary damage: finding of a violation sufficient satisfaction.
Costs and expenses incurred before Convention organs: reimbursed.
Conclusion: respondent State to pay specified sum to the applicant (unanimously).
© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights
This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.
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