Confidentiality re documents and information

Portuguese Republic

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

Part VI
Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

CHAPTER I
Provisions common to different forms of assistance


Article 148
Prohibition to use information obtained

1. Any information obtained in order to be used within the criminal proceedings mentioned in the foreign
State's request shall not be otherwise used.

2. At the request of a foreign State or an international judicial entity, the Minister of Justice, after having sought the opinion of the Attorney-General, may exceptionally authorise that information to be used in the framework of other criminal proceedings.

3. Any authorisation given to a foreign State to consult a Portuguese criminal proceedings file within the framework of which that State is an injured party, shall be made subject to the conditions mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.


Article 149
Confidentiality

1. Upon application of a foreign State or an international judicial entity, the request for assistance, its purpose, the measures taken upon the request, as well as the documents involved, shall be kept confidential.

2. If the assistance requested cannot be carried out without unveiling information thereupon, the Portuguese authority shall invite the interested authority to confirm or annul its request for assistance.

Part VI
Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

CHAPTER I
Provisions common to different forms of assistance

Article 148
Prohibition to use information obtained

1. Any information obtained in order to be used within the criminal proceedings mentioned in the foreign State's request shall not be otherwise used.

2. At the request of a foreign State or an international judicial entity, the Minister of Justice, after having sought the opinion of the Attorney-General, may exceptionally authorise that information to be used in the framework of other criminal proceedings.

3. Any authorisation given to a foreign State to consult a Portuguese criminal proceedings file within the framework of which that State is an injured party, shall be made subject to the conditions mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.

Article 149
Confidentiality

1. Upon application of a foreign State or an international judicial entity, the request for assistance, its purpose, the measures taken upon the request, as well as the documents involved, shall be kept confidential.

2. If the assistance requested cannot be carried out without unveiling information thereupon, the Portuguese authority shall invite the interested authority to confirm or annul its request for assistance.

Rome Statute

Article 93 Other forms of cooperation

8.

(a) The Court shall ensure the confidentiality of documents and information, except as required for the investigation and proceedings described in the request.

(b) The requested State may, when necessary, transmit documents or information to the Prosecutor on a confidential basis. The Prosecutor may then use them solely for the purpose of generating new evidence.

(c) The requested State may, on its own motion or at the request of the Prosecutor, subsequently consent to the disclosure of such documents or information. They may then be used as evidence pursuant to the provisions of Parts 5 and 6 and in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence.