What is the limitation of prosecution in criminal cases?

The limitation of prosecution is the effective period for judicial organs to investigate the criminal responsibility of criminals as stipulated in the criminal law. If a crime has passed the statutory limitation period, criminal responsibility shall not be investigated; If a case has been placed on file for investigation, the case shall be dismissed, or no prosecution shall be instituted, or the case shall be declared innocent. According to Article 87 of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC), a crime that exceeds the following time limit shall not be prosecuted: 1. If the statutory maximum penalty is less than five years of fixed-term imprisonment, the limitation period for prosecution shall be five years. 2. The statutory maximum penalty is fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years but less than 10 year, and the limitation period for prosecution is 10 year. 3. If the statutory maximum penalty is fixed-term imprisonment of 10 years or more, the limitation period for prosecution is 15 years. 4. If the statutory maximum punishment is life imprisonment or death penalty, the limitation period for prosecution shall be twenty years. If it is deemed necessary to prosecute after 20 years, it must be reported to the Supreme People's Procuratorate for approval, and it can still be prosecuted.