kahtlustataval

Kahtlustataval is Estonian for the adessive singular form of kahtlustatav, meaning the person who is under suspicion of having committed a crime. In legal and journalistic language, it refers to someone whose involvement is being investigated but who has not yet been charged. The form is not a standalone noun but a declined adjective used to indicate status in relation to actions or proceedings.

Grammatical notes: Kahtlustataval is the form used after certain prepositions or in noun phrases that denote location or relation, such as kahtlustataval in statements about the suspect during an investigation. The corresponding nominative form is kahtlustatav.

Legal context: In Estonian criminal procedure, a person may be designated as kahtlustatav during the pre-trial investigation. If charges are brought, the status may change to süüdistatav or defendant. Suspects have procedural rights such as presumption of innocence, access to counsel, and the right to be informed of the charges, applied as appropriate to the status designation. The use of kahtlustataval appears primarily in formal texts and media reporting on investigations and proceedings.

See also: kahtlustatav; süüdistatav; kriminaalmenetlus.