Transfer

Commonwealth of Australia

Australia - International Criminal Court Act No. 41 2002 (2018) EN

Part 2—General provisions relating to requests by the ICC for cooperation

7 What constitutes a request for cooperation
(1)
(a)
(vii) the temporary transfer of prisoners to the ICC;

Part 4—Other requests by ICC

Division 9—Temporary transfer of prisoners to the ICC

74 Prisoners assisting investigation or giving evidence
(1) This section applies if:
(a) the ICC requests assistance in facilitating the temporary transfer of a person to the ICC; and
(b) the person is a prisoner who is in Australia (whether or not in custody); and
(c) the Attorney-General is satisfied that:
(i) the request relates to an investigation being conducted by the Prosecutor or a proceeding before the ICC; and
(ii) the prisoner’s attendance is requested for the purpose of assisting the investigation or giving evidence at the proceeding; and
(iii) the prisoner has consented in writing to assisting the investigation or giving evidence at the proceeding; and
(iv) the prisoner will be returned without delay by the ICC to Australia when the purposes of the transfer have been fulfilled.
(2) If the prisoner is being held in custody, the Attorney-General is to execute the request by:
(a) if the prisoner is a federal prisoner and is not also a State prisoner—directing that the prisoner be released from prison for the purpose of travelling to the ICC to assist the investigation or give evidence at the proceeding; or
(b) if the prisoner is a federal prisoner and also a State prisoner—directing, subject to the obtaining of any approvals required to be obtained from an authority of the relevant State, that the prisoner be released from prison for the purpose of such travel; or
(c) if the prisoner is a State prisoner and is not also a federal prisoner—seeking any approvals required to be obtained from an authority of the relevant State; and, in any case, subject to the giving of any necessary directions or the obtaining of any necessary approvals relevant to release of the prisoner, making arrangements for such travel in the custody of a police officer, or prison officer, appointed by the Attorney-General for the purpose.
(3) If the prisoner, having been released from custody on parole, is not being held in custody, the Attorney-General is to execute the request by:
(a) if the prisoner is a federal prisoner and is not also a State prisoner:
(i) approving the travel of the prisoner to the ICC to assist the investigation or give evidence at the proceeding; and
(ii) obtaining such parole decisions as may be required; or
(b) if the prisoner is a federal prisoner and also a State prisoner—subject to the obtaining of any parole decisions required to be obtained from an authority of the relevant State:
(i) approving the travel of the prisoner to the ICC to assist the investigation or give evidence at the proceeding; and
(ii) obtaining such parole decisions as may be required; or
(c) if the prisoner is a State prisoner and is not also a federal prisoner:
(i) approving the travel of the prisoner to the ICC to assist the investigation or give evidence at the proceeding; and
(ii) seeking such parole decisions under the law of the relevant State as may be required; and, in any case, subject to the obtaining of any necessary parole decisions, making arrangements for the travel of the prisoner to the ICC.
(4) In this section:
parole includes any order or licence to be at large.
parole decision means any approval, authority or permission relating to parole, and includes any variation of parole.

Part 12—Enforcement in Australia of sentences imposed by ICC

Division 2—Transfer to Australia of ICC prisoners

166 Warrants for transfer to Australia
(1) A warrant for the transfer of an ICC prisoner to Australia authorises the transfer of the prisoner to Australia to serve the sentence of imprisonment imposed by the ICC in accordance with the enforcement conditions.
(2) A warrant must:
(a) specify the name and date of birth of the prisoner to be transferred; and
(b) specify the country from which the prisoner is to be transferred; and
(c) state that:
(i) the ICC’s agreement to the enforcement conditions; and
(ii) the written consent of the prisoner or his or her representative to the sentence being served in Australia (if the Attorney-General considers such consent is necessary); and
(iii) the appropriate Ministerial consent to the sentence being served in Australia;
have been obtained.
(3) The warrant is:
(a) to authorise an escort officer to collect the prisoner from a place (whether in Australia or a foreign country) specified in the warrant; and
(b) if the place is in a foreign country—to authorise:
(i) the escort officer to transport the prisoner in custody to Australia for surrender to a person appointed by the Attorney-General to receive the prisoner; and
(ii) if appropriate, the appointed person to escort the prisoner to the prison, or hospital or other place, in Australia where the prisoner is to begin to serve the sentence of imprisonment in accordance with this Part; and
(c) if the place is in Australia—to authorise the escort officer to escort the prisoner to the prison, or hospital or other place, in Australia where the prisoner is to begin to serve the sentence of imprisonment in accordance with this Part; and (d) if the prisoner is to be escorted to a prison—to require the superintendent of the prison to take the prisoner into custody to be dealt with in accordance with this Part; and
(e) if the prisoner is to be escorted to a hospital or other place—
to authorise his or her detention in the hospital or place to be dealt with in accordance with this Part.
Note: An ICC prisoner may be transferred from the prison, hospital or other place in the State in which he or she begins to serve a sentence of imprisonment to another prison, hospital or other place in the State or to a prison, hospital or other place in another State (see paragraphs 172(5)(e), (d) and (h)).
(4) The Attorney-General may give any direction or approval that is necessary to ensure that the warrant is executed in accordance with its terms.

Part 12—Enforcement in Australia of sentences imposed by ICC

Division 3—Enforcement of sentences

175 ICC prisoner may apply to be transferred from Australia to a foreign country
An ICC prisoner serving a sentence in Australia may, at any time, apply to the ICC to be transferred from Australia to complete the service of the sentence in a foreign country.

176 How ICC prisoner is to be transferred
(1) This section applies if an ICC prisoner is to be transferred from Australia to a foreign country to complete the service of his or her sentence.
(2) The Attorney-General may issue a warrant, by writing in the statutory form, for the transfer of the prisoner.
(3) The warrant authorises the transfer of the prisoner from Australia to the foreign country to complete the service of his or her sentence.
(4) The warrant must:
(a) specify the name and date of birth of the prisoner; and
(b) state that the prisoner is to be transferred from Australia to the foreign country to complete the service of his or her sentence; and
(c) authorise an escort officer to collect the prisoner from the prison in which he or she is held in custody, or from the hospital or other place where he or she is detained, and transport the prisoner in custody to the foreign country; and
(d) require the superintendent of the prison, or the person in charge of the hospital or other place, to release the prisoner into the custody of the escort officer.

177 Special rules in certain cases
(1) An ICC prisoner serving a sentence in Australia may:
(a) be extradited to a foreign country in accordance with the Extradition Act 1988 either:
(i) after the completion of, or release from, the sentence; or
(ii) during the sentence, but only for a temporary period; or
(b) be required to remain in Australia in order to serve a sentence that he or she is liable to serve under Australian law.
(2) Despite subsection (1):
(a) a person to whom paragraph (1)(a) applies may not, without the prior agreement of the ICC, be extradited to a foreign country; and
(b) a person to whom paragraph (1)(b) applies may not, without the prior agreement of the ICC, be prosecuted or punished in Australia;
for an offence constituted by an act or omission that occurred before the making of the relevant designation referred to in paragraph 162(1)(c).
(3) Subsection (2) does not apply to a person who:
(a) remains voluntarily in Australia for more than 30 days after the date of completion of, or release from, the sentence imposed by the ICC; or
(b) voluntarily returns to Australia after having left it.

Rome Statute

Article 93 Other forms of cooperation

1. States Parties shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Part and under procedures of national law, comply with requests by the Court to provide the following assistance in relation to investigations or prosecutions:

(f) The temporary transfer of persons as provided in paragraph 7;

7.

(a) The Court may request the temporary transfer of a person in custody for purposes of identification or for obtaining testimony or other assistance. The person may be transferred if the following conditions are fulfilled:

(i) The person freely gives his or her informed consent to the transfer; and

(ii) The requested State agrees to the transfer, subject to such conditions as that State and the Court may agree.

(b) The person being transferred shall remain in custody. When the purposes of the transfer have been fulfilled, the Court shall return the person without delay to the requested State.

Article 103 Role of States in enforcement of sentences of imprisonment

1.

(a) A sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons.

(b) At the time of declaring its willingness to accept sentenced persons, a State may attach conditions to its acceptance as agreed by the Court and in accordance with this Part.

(c) A State designated in a particular case shall promptly inform the Court whether it accepts the Court's designation.

2.

(a) The State of enforcement shall notify the Court of any circumstances, including the exercise of any conditions agreed under paragraph 1, which could materially affect the terms or extent of the imprisonment. The Court shall be given at least 45 days' notice of any such known or foreseeable circumstances. During this period, the State of enforcement shall take no action that might prejudice its obligations under article 110.

(b) Where the Court cannot agree to the circumstances referred to in subparagraph (a), it shall notify the State of enforcement and proceed in accordance with article 104, paragraph 1.

3. In exercising its discretion to make a designation under paragraph 1, the Court shall take into account the following:

(a) The principle that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable distribution, as provided in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence;

(b) The application of widely accepted international treaty standards governing the treatment of prisoners;

(c) The views of the sentenced person;

(d) The nationality of the sentenced person;

(e) Such other factors regarding the circumstances of the crime or the person sentenced, or the effective enforcement of the sentence, as may be appropriate in designating the State of enforcement.

4. If no State is designated under paragraph 1, the sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a prison facility made available by the host State, in accordance with the conditions set out in the headquarters agreement referred to in article 3, paragraph 2. In such a case, the costs arising out of the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be borne by the Court.

Article 104 Change in designation of State of enforcement

1. The Court may, at any time, decide to transfer a sentenced person to a prison of another State.

2. A sentenced person may, at any time, apply to the Court to be transferred from the State of enforcement.

Article 107 Transfer of the person upon completion of sentence

1. Following completion of the sentence, a person who is not a national of the State of enforcement may, in accordance with the law of the State of enforcement, be transferred to a State which is obliged to receive him or her, or to another State which agrees to receive him or her, taking into account any wishes of the person to be transferred to that State, unless the State of enforcement authorizes the person to remain in its territory.

2. If no State bears the costs arising out of transferring the person to another State pursuant to paragraph 1, such costs shall be borne by the Court.

3. Subject to the provisions of article 108, the State of enforcement may also, in accordance with its national law, extradite or otherwise surrender the person to a State which has requested the extradition or surrender of the person for purposes of trial or enforcement of a sentence.