Chapter 2 Provision of legal assistance in criminal cases
Article 7 (1)
Temporary transfer of a person held in custody in Georgia to the territory of a foreign country for the purpose of participation in an investigative action
1. Where there are relevant legal grounds, if during the conduct of an investigative action in the territory of a foreign state in relation to a criminal case conducted by the competent authorities of Georgia, there arises a need for the presence of a person who is held in custody in Georgia, the investigator, prosecutor or judge (court) shall be authorised to require, through the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, a temporary transfer of this person to the territory of the foreign state for participation in the relevant investigative action.
2. In the case provided for by paragraph 1 of this article, prior written consent from the person held in custody in Georgia shall be necessary for a temporary transfer of such person to the territory of a foreign state.
3. The request specified in paragraph 1 of this article may be sent to a competent authority of a foreign state in the form of a request for legal assistance. The written consent of the person held in custody in Georgia, or a copy of such consent, shall be attached to the request.
4. The procedure and conditions for a temporary transfer of a person held in custody in Georgia to a foreign state shall be determined under a written agreement entered into between the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the competent authorities of the foreign state.
5.In accordance with this article, a person temporarily transferred to the territory of a foreign state, including in the case of transit through a third State, shall remain in custody, if the Ministry of Justice of Georgia does not require their release from custody.
6. The period of detention of a person temporarily transferred to the territory of a foreign state shall be counted towards the total period of the sentence imposed by the court.
Chapter 3 Extradition
Article 17
Transfer of a person to a third state
1. A person extradited from a foreign state may not be transferred to a third state without the consent of the extraditing state.
2. For the purposes of this article, consent shall be requested by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia.
Chapter 3 Extradition
Article 35
Transfer of physical evidence
1. Unless otherwise provided for by an international or individual agreement of Georgia, the items and/or documents seized from an extraditable person, which can be used as evidence in a criminal case, shall be sent to the competent authority of the requesting state.
2. Items and documents of material value, if they do not belong to the extraditable person, shall be sent only after receiving assurances in respect of safeguarding and returning them to the owner. The assurances shall be given by the requesting authority.
Chapter 5 Transfer to a foreign state (or to Georgia) of persons sentenced to imprisonment for the purpose of serving a sentence
Article 43
General provisions on the transfer to a foreign state (or to Georgia) of persons sentenced to imprisonment for the purpose of serving a sentence
1. Where there are relevant legal grounds, a Georgian citizen or a person domiciled in Georgia who has been sentenced to imprisonment in a foreign state may request to be transferred to Georgia to serve the remaining part of the sentence.
2. Where there are relevant legal grounds, a foreigner sentenced to imprisonment in Georgia may request to be transferred to the his/her state of nationality to serve the remaining part of the sentence.
3. The Ministry of Corrections of Georgia shall ensure that foreigners sentenced to imprisonment in Georgia are informed of the rights specified in paragraph 2 of this article.
4. The decision on the transfer to a foreign state of foreigners convicted by the courts of Georgia, or on the transfer to Georgia of citizens of Georgia and of persons domiciled in Georgia who have been convicted in a foreign state, shall be made by the Minister of Justice of Georgia.
5. The Ministry of Justice of Georgia shall ensure the interaction with foreign states on the transfer of convicted persons, as well as the conduct of appropriate procedures for discussing and deciding on the transfer of convicted persons.
6. The transfer of a convicted person may be effected only after the court judgement against him/her becomes final.
7. The following may serve as grounds for commencing the examination of a request for the transfer to a foreign state (or to Georgia) of a convicted person:
a. a request of a competent authority of the state of nationality of the convicted person, or a request of a competent authority of the state whose court delivered the judgement convicting the person;
b. an application of the convicted person, or of his/her defence lawyer, close relative or legal representative.
8. During the examination of a request for the transfer to a foreign state (or to Georgia) of a convicted person, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia shall obtain the following documents:
a. a certified copy of the final judgement;
b. a document certifying the entry into force of the final judgement;
c. a certified copy (if any) of a decision of a higher court of the court that delivered the judgement;
d. a document concerning the part of the sentence served by the convicted person;
e. a document concerning the remaining part of the sentence;
f. the text of the article of the Criminal Code under which the person was convicted;
g. unless otherwise provided for by an international or individual agreement of Georgia or the conditions of reciprocity, the written consent of the convicted person to the transfer, and where the convicted person is unable to express his/her wish, the consent of his/her close relative or legal representative;
h. a certificate of health of the convicted person;
i. a document certifying citizenship of the receiving state;
j. the opinions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and of the State Security Service of Georgia on the reasonableness of transferring the convicted person.
9. A convicted person shall not be transferred if:
a. the act for which the person is convicted is not deemed to be an offence or is not punishable with imprisonment under the legislation of the State that is requesting the transfer and of which the convicted person is a national;
b. there is no consent from the convicted person (unless otherwise provided for by an international or individual agreement of Georgia or the conditions of reciprocity), and in cases where a convicted person is unable to express his/her wishes freely due to his/her age, or physical or mental handicap, the consent of his/her close relative or legal representative;
c. the remaining term of the sentence to be served by the convicted person is less than 6 months at the moment of receiving the request for transfer. In exceptional cases, Georgia and the foreign state concerned may agree on a transfer to a foreign state (or to Georgia) even if the remaining term of the sentence is less than 6 months;
d. the parties failed to agree on the transfer to the foreign state (or to Georgia) of the convicted person.
10. A request for the transfer to a foreign state (or to Georgia) of a convicted person may be denied if:
a. the transfer of the accused person poses a risk to public and/or state security interests;
b. the correctional facilities of Georgia are overcrowded;
c. the convicted person has not served half of the sentence, unless otherwise agreed between the competent authorities of Georgia and the foreign state;
d. the interested persons refused to cover the expenses required for transferring the convicted person.
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;
(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.
(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.
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.
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.