germany comparative-law pardon
Is a pardon (&quot;Begnadigung&quot;) under German law possible before a final court sentence?
<p>I just read that under US law, the US president may pardon a person even before they have been sentenced, and even before they have been accused (see e.g.  <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/71/333" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Ex Parte Garland</em>, 1866</a>). .</p>
<p>I was curious about the <strong>legal situation in Germany</strong>. The German Basic Law (<em>Grundgesetz</em>), <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/englisch_gg.html#p0284" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Article 60</a> says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(2) He <em>(the Federal President)</em> shall exercise the power to pardon offenders on behalf of the
Federation in individual cases.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, I could not find any law that specifies what exactly is covered by the &quot;power to pardon&quot;.</p>
<p>So my question:</p>
<p><strong>Can a pardon under Article 60 be issued before the offender has been sentenced?</strong></p>
<hr />
<p>I did find an article by the Legal Service of the Bundestag, which says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Unter„Begnadigung“  wird  eine  Maßnahme  verstanden,  mit  der  eine
rechtskräftige  Entschei-dung beseitigt oder gemildert wird.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>My translation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Pardon&quot; refers to a measure which removes or mitigates a legally binding decision.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em><a href="https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/189882/545ece2edaedbc71607363ff5938ef76/Das_Begnadigungsrecht_des_Bundespraesidenten-data.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Das Begnadigungsrecht des Bundespräsidenten, Anja Eiardt/Sarab Borhanian, 2007</a></em></p>
<p>So it seems to be accepted that a pardon is only possible after sentencing - but what is this based on? Is there some special law?</p>

<p><strong>tl;dr:</strong> Yes, a pardon under German law is only possible for a final court sentence (or other similar sanctions, such as expulsion of a public servant).</p>
<p>This is not written down explicitly anywhere. Rather, this rule, like most other rules around pardons, is a matter of historical convention. This is probably because the power to pardon itself is a historical convention (and considered by some to be a violation of modern legal principles), so it kind of stands &quot;outside of the law&quot;.</p>
<hr />
<p>Apparently the <em>Begnadigungsrecht</em> (power to pardon) mentioned in Article 60 of the Basic Law is not formally defined anywhere, rather the details are a matter of convention.</p>
<p>However, there is a <strong>judgement by the Federal Constitutional Court</strong> (<em>Bundesverfassungsgericht</em>), &quot;Zur Frage der Justitiabilität von Gnadenentscheidungen&quot;, 2 BvR 552/63. The judgement gives some historical background for the power of pardon, and confirms that there is no formal definition. Additionally, the judgement says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Das Begnadigungsrecht, wie es das Grundgesetz in Art. 60 Abs. 2 kennt,
besteht in der Befugnis, im Einzelfall eine rechtskräftig erkannte
Strafe ganz oder teilweise zu erlassen, sie umzuwandeln oder ihre
Vollstreckung auszusetzen. Es eröffnet die Möglichkeit, eine im
Rechtsweg zustande gekommene und im Rechtsweg nicht mehr zu ändernde
Entscheidung auf einem &quot;anderen&quot;, &quot;besonderen&quot; Weg zu korrigieren.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The judgement explicitly mentions &quot;rechtskräftig erkannte Strafe&quot; (final legal decision or judgement) - so this explicitly confirms that the power of pardon is only for changing a (final) judgement.</p>
<p>Similarly, the <strong><a href="https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayGnO-5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bayerische Gnadenordnung, §5</a></strong> says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(1) Der Gnadenweg darf nicht dazu dienen, die nach gesetzlichen
Bestimmungen mögliche Anrufung des Gerichts zu ersetzen. Hierüber ist
der Gesuchsteller gegebenenfalls zu belehren.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>My translation:</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The process of pardon shall not be used to replace court proceedings as
given by applicable laws. An applicant for a pardon is to be informed
about this when applicable.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This, again, confirms that a pardon must not replace or inhibit a court judgement.</p>
