Criminal charge

"A criminal charge is a formal accusation made by a governmental authority (usually a public prosecutor or the police) asserting that somebody has committed a crime. A charging document, which contains one or more criminal charges or counts, can take several forms, including:

complaintinformationindictmentcitationtraffic ticketThe charging document is what generally starts a criminal case in court. But the procedure by which somebody is charged with a crime and what happens when somebody has been charged varies from country to country and even, within a country, from state to state.

Before a person is proven guilty, the charge must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." - (en.wikipedia.org 28.08.2020)