Définition
The examining magistrate is a judge of the court of first instance to whom the public prosecutor refers the most complex criminal cases (felonies and misdemeanours). The magistrate then directs the action of the criminal investigation department. He or she may decide to put a person under investigation and proceed to a judicial review. He or she gathers together the evidence they deem useful to demonstrate the truth, directs interrogations, confrontations and hearings, and compiles the file to be submitted, where applicable, to the correctional court or the jury.