the claim or give the prosecution an opportunity to respond to the claim before reaching a decision. If the preliminary claim is accepted the court may amend the indictment, dismiss the charges, or transfer the matter to another court. In trial proceedings, the prosecution presents its case first, and is entitled to make an opening statement. The prosecution will present the evidence and then announce that its case is closed. If the judge or judges decide that the prosecution has failed to present prima facie evidence of guilt, the defendant will be acquitted, though not before the prosecution is allowed to challenge the decision to acquit. Otherwise, the defense will argue its case. As with the prosecution, the defense is entitled to make an opening statement, and then presents its evidence, after which it will close its case. The prosecution is then entitled to present additional evidence arising from evidence presented by the defense which the prosecution could not have foreseen, or to prove facts to which the defendant withdrew admission to after the closure of the prosecution's case. If the prosecution presents additional evidence, the defense is entitled to then present evidence to rebut it. During proceedings, when the prosecution and defense present witnesses to argue in their favor, the opposing party is entitled to cross-examine the witness after first being examined by the party who called him or her. After both parties have finished examining the witness, the judge or judges may examine the witness, and are they are also entitled to pose a question to the witness during examination by either of the parties to clarify a point arising from it. If the court has examined a witness, both the prosecution and defense may then further examine him or her to determine a point that arose in the questioning by the court. A defendant is entitled to testify as a witness for the defense, subject to cross-examination by the prosecution, though the defendant may not be cross-examined on any previous criminal convictions unless the defendant has claimed to be of good character during testimony or otherwise produced evidence to that effect. A defendant who elects to testify will usually do so at the commencement of the hearing of the defense's evidence, though the court may permit the defendant to do so at another stage. A defendant may refrain from testifying, but a refusal to testify may add