Art. 575 Interruption of time limitations

If someone accused of a crime hides from the police, leaves the state, or stays away from their normal home to avoid being caught or charged, the clock on the time limit to prosecute them stops running. This means prosecutors get extra time to bring the case once the person is found or comes back, because the time the person spent hiding does not count against the deadline.

The same thing happens if the accused person is found mentally unfit to stand trial and gets committed for treatment under Article 648. While that person is committed, the deadline for prosecution is paused. Once they leave hiding or become mentally fit again, the clock starts counting the time limit again from where it left off.

In short, this rule stops people from beating criminal charges just by running away or by being too mentally unwell to face trial. The government does not lose its chance to prosecute just because time passed while the person was unreachable or unable to stand trial.