55According to that court’s case-law on criminal matters, the provision of full, detailed information concerning the charges against a defendant, and consequently the legal characterisation that the court might adopt in the matter, is an essential prerequisite for ensuring that the proceedings are fair. The right to be informed of the nature and the cause of the accusation must be considered in the light of the accused’s right to prepare his defence (ECtHR, 25 March 1999, Pélissier and Sassi v. France, CE:ECHR:1999:0325JUD002544494, §§ 52 and 54). Although, when they have such a right under national law, the trial courts can reclassify acts duly put before them, they must ensure that accused persons have had an opportunity to exercise their rights of the defence specifically and effectively on that point, having been informed, in good time, of the cause of the accusation, that is to say, not only of the material acts of which they are accused and on which the accusation is based, but also, in detail, of the legal classification given to those acts (ECtHR, 11 December 2007, Drassich v. Italy, CE:ECHR:2007:1211JUD002557504, § 34, and ECtHR, 22 February 2018, Drassich v. Italy, CE:ECHR:2018:0222JUD006517309, § 65).
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