tutkittavan

Tutkittavan is a Finnish term used in legal and administrative language. It is the genitive singular form of the participle tutkittava, meaning “to be investigated” or “investigable.” It functions as a possessive modifier indicating the subject of an investigation, for example in phrases describing the status of the person or entity under inquiry.

In Finnish criminal procedure, tutkittavan describes the person or entity that is the target of an inquiry, often during esitutkinta (preliminary investigation) or other investigative processes. The designation can apply to a person, a company, or an institution being examined, and it does not by itself imply guilt; it marks the status of being under investigation. The term is distinct from epäilty (suspect) and from todistaja (witness), though an investigated person may later become a suspect or a witness depending on the findings of the case.

In practice, documents may refer to tutkittava or tutkittavan oikeudet to discuss the rights of the person under investigation, such as the right to be informed of the investigation, the right to legal counsel, and the presumption of innocence. Usage is mostly confined to formal, legal texts, court decisions, police reports, and legislative drafting. English translations include “the person under investigation” or “the investigated party.” The term illustrates how Finnish uses participial adjectives to describe status within procedural language. See also esitutkinta, epäilty, todistaja, oikeusjärjestelmä.