Short answer. Yes, in a specific way. Where the civil action for recovery of civil liability is instituted together with the criminal action, the offended party may intervene by counsel in the prosecution of the offense, working alongside the public prosecutor rather than replacing them.
What the law says
Where the civil action for recovery of civil liability is instituted in the criminal action pursuant to Rule 111, the offended party may intervene by counsel in the prosecution of the offense.
Rule 110, Section 16 — Intervention of the offended party in criminal action. Read the full provision →
Intervention is tied to the civil action riding with the criminal case
The right to intervene through private counsel does not arise simply because someone is the offended party. It applies specifically where the civil action for recovery of civil liability is instituted in the criminal action pursuant to Rule 111 — meaning the civil claim for damages is being pursued together with, rather than separately from, the criminal prosecution against the accused.
Intervention means participating, not taking over
The rule allows the offended party to intervene by counsel in the prosecution of the offense. This is participation alongside the public prosecutor, who remains in charge of the criminal case itself. The private prosecutor's presence is understood as protecting the offended party's interest in the civil liability arising from the crime, working under the public prosecutor's control and supervision rather than independently directing the prosecution.
This distinction matters: the offended party's counsel supplements the public prosecutor's work rather than substituting for it, and the ultimate decisions about how the criminal charge itself is pursued remain firmly with the State throughout the proceeding.
Why the civil claim is the hook for this right
The reason this intervention right is tied to the civil action is that the offended party's private counsel has a direct stake to protect: the civil liability that flows from the criminal act. Since a conviction can establish that liability, the offended party has a genuine interest in how the criminal case unfolds — not out of a general desire to see the accused punished, but because the civil recovery is bound up with the criminal proceeding's outcome.
What this means for someone who was harmed by a crime
A victim who wants their own lawyer actively involved in the criminal case, rather than relying solely on the public prosecutor, has a concrete route to do so through this rule — provided the civil action for damages is proceeding together with the criminal case rather than being reserved or filed separately. That civil claim is what gives the private lawyer standing to intervene in how the offense itself is prosecuted, rather than simply watching from the sidelines.