Provisional arrest for ICC proceedings - national procedures

Portuguese Republic

Law No. 144/99, of 31 August, on International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters

Part II
Extradition

CHAPTER I
Extradition from Portugal

Section I
Requirements


Article 38
Provisional arrest

1. In case of urgency the provisional arrest of the person sought may be requested as a preliminary to a formal extradition request.

2. Any decision on such a provisional arrest, or on the continuation of such an arrest, shall be taken in accordance with the Portuguese law.

3. Requests for provisional arrest shall: indicate the existence of either a detention order or a sentence against the person claimed; describe briefly the facts that amount to an offence; state when and where such offence was committed, the legal provisions that are applicable, as well as the available data concerning the identity, the nationality and the whereabouts of that person.

4. The provisions of Article 29 shall apply to the transmission of the request.

5. Provisional arrest shall be terminated if the request for extradition is not received within 18 days of the arrest; it may however be prolonged for up to 40 days of the arrest if the reasons given by the requesting State so justify.

6. Provisional arrest may be replaced by any other coercive measure in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

7. The provisions of paragraph 5 above shall not prejudice re-arrest and extradition if a request is received subsequently.

8. The request for provisional arrest shall be examined only where no doubts
arise as to the powers of the requesting authority and if the request contains such elements as are indicated in paragraph 3 above.


Article 39
Non requested provisional arrest

The criminal police authorities may arrest any person who, according to official sources, in particular INTERPOL, is wanted by competent foreign authorities for purposes of criminal proceedings or the purpose of serving a sentence, for any notoriously extraditable offence.

Part II
Extradition

CHAPTER I
Extradition from Portugal

Section III
Special procedural rules for cases of provisional arrest


Article 62
Powers
1. The judge mentioned in Article 51 above shall be empowered to order the provisional arrest; he shall not produce such an order unless he is satisfied with the authenticity, the regularity and the admissibility of the request; the warrant of arrest shall be handed over to the public prosecutor.

2. The authority who arrests the person shall bring him before the public prosecutor attached to the ""Tribunal da Relação" that has jurisdiction over the request, for the purposes of the person being heard and of a decision being taken to the effect of ratifying or not the arrest and allowing or not its continuation; such a decision must be taken within a period of no more than 48 hours after the arrest.

3. The Attorney-General's Office shall be immediately informed of any provisional arrest; where provisional arrest should terminate according to the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 38, an order for the release of the person shall be given.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article 53 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Article 63
Time-limits
1. Once the extradition request of a person provisionally arrested is received, the procedure provided for in Article 48 shall be completed within 15 days.

2. If the Minister of Justice deems the request to be admissible, it shall immediately be forwarded, via the Attorney-General, to the public prosecutor.
3. The arrest of the person shall terminate and be replaced by another coercive measure if the request is not submitted to court within 60 days of the date of the arrest.
4. The file shall immediately be referred to one of the chambers in the ""Tribunal da Relação"; the time-limits mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 51 shall be reduced to three days; the time-limit mentioned in paragraph 1 of Article 52 shall run as from the date of receipt of the request by the court.

5. Any decision by the Minister of Justice to the effect of refusing the request shall immediately be transmitted in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 above, for the purpose of releasing the arrested person.

Article 64
Non requested provisional arrest
1. Any authority who proceeds to an arrest according to the provisions of Article 39, shall bring the person before the public prosecutor of the ""Tribunal da Relação" situated in the district where the person was arrested; the public prosecutor shall take steps for the hearing of the person, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 62.
2. If the arrest is upheld, it shall immediately be brought to the attention of both the Attorney-General's Office and, through the quickest channels, the foreign authority concerned; the latter shall be requested to inform urgently whether it will submit an extradition request; it shall also be requested to conform with the time-limits provided in paragraph 5 of Article 38.
3. The arrest shall be terminated after 18 days unless a reply is received to the question mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and it shall be terminated after 40 days if a positive reply is received but not followed by an extradition request.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article 53 and those of Article 63 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Article 65
Non-custodial coercive measures
The ""Tribunal da Relação" shall be competent to decide upon any non-custodial coercive measures where such measures may apply under the provisions of Articles 38 and 64.

Part II
Extradition

CHAPTER I
Extradition from Portugal

Section I
Requirements

Article 38
Provisional arrest

1. In case of urgency the provisional arrest of the person sought may be requested as a preliminary to a formal extradition request.

2. Any decision on such a provisional arrest, or on the continuation of such an arrest, shall be taken in accordance with the Portuguese law.

3. Requests for provisional arrest shall : indicate the existence of either a detention order or a sentence against the person claimed ; describe briefly the facts that amount to an offence ; state when and where such offence was committed, the legal provisions that are applicable, as well as the available data concerning the identity, the nationality and the whereabouts of that person.

4. The provisions of Article 29 shall apply to the transmission of the request.

5. Provisional arrest shall be terminated if the request for extradition is not received within 18 days of the arrest; it may however be prolonged for up to 40 days of the arrest if the reasons given by the requesting State so justify.

6. Provisional arrest may be replaced by any other coercive measure in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

7. The provisions of paragraph 5 above shall not prejudice re-arrest and extradition if a request is received subsequently.

8. The request for provisional arrest shall be examined only where no doubts
arise as to the powers of the requesting authority and if the request contains such elements as are indicated in paragraph 3 above.

Article 39
Non requested provisional arrest

The criminal police authorities may arrest any person who, according to official sources, in particular INTERPOL, is wanted by competent foreign authorities for purposes of criminal proceedings or the purpose of serving a sentence, for any notoriously extraditable offence.

Part II
Extradition

CHAPTER I
Extradition from Portugal

Section III
Special procedural rules for cases of provisional arrest

Article 62
Powers

1. The judge mentioned in Article 51 above shall be empowered to order the provisional arrest; he shall not produce such an order unless he is satisfied with the authenticity, the regularity and the admissibility of the request ; the warrant of arrest shall be handed over to the public prosecutor.

2. The authority who arrests the person shall bring him before the public prosecutor attached to the ""Tribunal da Relação"l" that has jurisdiction over the request, for the purposes of the person being heard and of a decision being taken to the effect of ratifying or not the arrest and allowing or not its continuation ; such a decision must be taken within a period of no more than 48 hours after the arrest.

3. The Attorney-General's Office shall be immediately informed of any provisional arrest ; where provisional arrest should terminate according to the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 38, an order for the release of the person shall be given.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article 53 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Article 63
Time-limits

1. Once the extradition request of a person provisionally arrested is received, the procedure provided for in Article 48 shall be completed within 15 days.

2. If the Minister of Justice deems the request to be admissible, it shall immediately be forwarded, via the Attorney-General, to the public prosecutor.

3. The arrest of the person shall terminate and be replaced by another coercive measure if the request is not submitted to court within 60 days of the date of the arrest.

4. The file shall immediately be referred to one of the chambers in the ""Tribunal da Relação"l"; the time-limits mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 51 shall be reduced to three days ; the time-limit mentioned in paragraph 1 of Article 52 shall run as from the date of receipt of the request by the court.

5. Any decision by the Minister of Justice to the effect of refusing the request shall immediately be transmitted in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 above, for the purpose of releasing the arrested person.

Article 64
Non requested provisional arrest

1. Any authority who proceeds to an arrest according to the provisions of Article 39, shall bring the person before the public prosecutor of the ""Tribunal da Relação"l" situated in the district where the person was arrested ; the public prosecutor shall take steps for the hearing of the person, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 62.

2. If the arrest is upheld, it shall immediately be brought to the attention of both the Attorney-General's Office and, through the quickest channels, the foreign authority concerned ; the latter shall be requested to inform urgently whether it will submit an extradition request; it shall also be requested to conform with the time-limits provided in paragraph 5 of Article 38.

3. The arrest shall be terminated after 18 days unless a reply is received to the question mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and it shall be terminated after 40 days if a positive reply is received but not followed by an extradition request.4. The provisions of paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article 53 and those of Article 63 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Article 65
Non-custodial coercive measures

The ""Tribunal da Relação"l" shall be competent to decide upon any non-custodial coercive measures where such measures may apply under the provisions of Articles 38 and 64.

Part IV
Enforcement of criminal judgements

CHAPTER III
Proceeds of fines, confiscated property and provisional measures

Article 111
Coercive measures

2. Where provisional arrest is the coercive measure imposed, the measure shall be ended after expiration of the time-limits provided for in paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 100, if by that time the decision of confirmation is still not forthcoming.

3. Provisional arrest may in such a case be replaced by another coercive measure, in conformity with the law of criminal procedure.

Rome Statute

Article 92 Provisional arrest

1. In urgent cases, the Court may request the provisional arrest of the person sought, pending presentation of the request for surrender and the documents supporting the request as specified in article 91.

2. The request for provisional arrest shall be made by any medium capable of delivering a written record and shall contain:

(a) Information describing the person sought, sufficient to identify the person, and information as to that person's probable location;

(b) A concise statement of the crimes for which the person's arrest is sought and of the facts which are alleged to constitute those crimes, including, where possible, the date and location of the crime;

(c) A statement of the existence of a warrant of arrest or a judgement of conviction against the person sought; and

(d) A statement that a request for surrender of the person sought will follow.

3. A person who is provisionally arrested may be released from custody if the requested State has not received the request for surrender and the documents supporting the request as specified in article 91 within the time limits specified in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. However, the person may consent to surrender before the expiration of this period if permitted by the law of the requested State. In such a case, the requested State shall proceed to surrender the person to the Court as soon as possible.

4. The fact that the person sought has been released from custody pursuant to paragraph 3 shall not prejudice the subsequent arrest and surrender of that person if the request for surrender and the documents supporting the request are delivered at a later date.