An indictment will state the relevant alleged facts and set out the nature of the alleged crime.
In the USA, the indictment is the formal accusation returned by a Grand Jury, that charges a person with a felony.
It is on the basis of an indictment that an accused person must stand trial.
It is so essential in law that an accused person know fully the charge against him or her, so that they can prepare and face it in Court, that an error on the face or form of an indictment may lead to a successful motion by the accused to quash the indictment, thereby setting the accused free subject to the prosecutor's right, in limited cases, to correct and reissue the indictment.