Temporary transfer of persons in custody for purposes of identification or for obtaining testimony or other forms of assistance - authority - ICC proceedings

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 III
Special forms of international assistance


Article 155
Temporary surrender of persons in custody

1. A person arrested or imprisoned in Portugal may be temporarily surrendered to an authority of a foreign State for the purposes mentioned in the preceding Article, provided that that person consents, that his remaining in custody is guaranteed and that he shall be returned within the period stipulated by the Portuguese authorities or when his presence in that State is no longer necessary.

2. Without prejudice to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, surrender shall be refused if:

a) the presence of the person concerned is necessary at criminal proceedings pending in Portugal;
b) it is liable to prolong the provisional arrest of the person concerned;
c) regarding the circumstances of the case, the Portuguese judicial authority does not deem surrender to be convenient.

3. The provisions of sub-paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 21 shall apply to the requests mentioned in this Article.

4. The time during which the person remains out of Portugal shall be taken into consideration for the purposes of provisional arrest or sentence imposed in Portugal.

5. If the sentence imposed on the person surrendered expires while that person is on the territory of a foreign State, that person shall be set free and shall as from that moment enjoy such rights as enjoy the persons who are not under custody.

6. The Minister of Justice may grant the assistance requested subject to specified requirements.

Part VI
Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

CHAPTER III
Special forms of international assistance


Article 157
Safe conduct

1. Any person appearing on the territory of a foreign State under the terms and for the purposes of the provisions of Articles 154, 155 or 156 above:

a) shall not be arrested, prosecuted, punished or subjected to any other restriction of his personal liberty in respect of any act anterior to his departure from the Portuguese territory other than those mentioned in the request for co-operation;
b) shall not be under an obligation to accept to be heard or make a statement at proceedings other than those mentioned in the request.

2. The immunity provided for in paragraph 1 above shall cease when the person voluntarily remains in the territory of the foreign State for more than 45 days from the date when his presence is no longer required or, having left that territory, voluntarily returned to it.

3. The provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis to any person habitually resident in a foreign State who comes to Portugal as a result of a summons to appear for purposes of criminal proceedings.

Part II
Extradition

CHAPTER I
Extradition from Portugal

Section I
Requirements

Article 36
Temporary surrender

1. Under the circumstances described in paragraph 1 of Article 35, the person claimed may be temporarily surrendered for the purpose of procedural acts, in particular his trial, which the requesting State establishes cannot be postponed without it carrying serious prejudice, if the surrender does not in turn carry prejudice to the proceedings pending in Portugal and if the requesting State undertakes to return unconditionally the person concerned to Portugal once such procedural acts are terminated.

2. Where the person temporarily surrendered was serving a sentence, the enforcement of the latter shall be suspended as from the date of the surrender of the person to the requesting State and until the date of the surrender back of the person to the Portuguese authorities.

3. However, the duration of custody in the requesting State shall be deducted from the period that remains to be served in Portugal where such custody was not taken into consideration in that State.

4. Where surrender was postponed under the provisions of Article 35, for the purpose of the "Tribunal da Relação"l (court of appeal) assessing the requirements mentioned in paragraph 1 above, the request for temporary surrender is processed by way of appending the file to that of the extradition request. The Tribunal da Relação shall seek an opinion both from the court under whose authority the person is, and the Minister of Justice.

Part VI
Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

CHAPTER III
Special forms of international assistance

Article 155
Temporary surrender of persons in custody

1. A person arrested or imprisoned in Portugal may be temporarily surrendered to an authority of a foreign State for the purposes mentioned in the preceding Article, provided that that person consents, that his remaining in custody is guaranteed and that he shall be returned within the period stipulated by the Portuguese authorities or when his presence in that State is no longer necessary.

2. Without prejudice to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, surrender shall be refused if :

a) the presence of the person concerned is necessary at criminal proceedings pending in Portugal ;
b) it is liable to prolong the provisional arrest of the person concerned ;
c) regarding the circumstances of the case, the Portuguese judicial authority does not deem surrender to be convenient.

3. The provisions of sub-paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 21 shall apply to the requests mentioned in this Article.

4. The time during which the person remains out of Portugal shall be taken into consideration for the purposes of provisional arrest or sentence imposed in Portugal.


Part VI
Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

CHAPTER III
Special forms of international assistance

Article 156
Temporary transfer of persons in custody for purposes of investigation

1. The provisions of Article 155 shall apply to cases in which, upon agreement, a person arrested or imprisoned in Portugal may be temporarily transferred to the territory of another State for purposes of investigation in the framework of Portuguese criminal proceedings.

2. The agreement mentioned in paragraph 1 above shall not be required where the transfer is made under an international agreement, treaty or convention that does not impose it.

3. The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply mutatis mutandis to requests of assistance submitted to Portugal.

Part VI
Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters

CHAPTER III
Special forms of international assistance

Article 157
Safe conduct

1. Any person appearing on the territory of a foreign State under the terms and for the purposes of the provisions of Articles 154, 155 or 156 above :

a) shall not be arrested, prosecuted, punished or subjected to any other restriction of his personal liberty in respect of any act anterior to his departure from the Portuguese territory other than those mentioned in the request for co-operation ;
b) shall not be under an obligation to accept to be heard or make a statement at proceedings other than those mentioned in the request.

2. The immunity provided for in paragraph 1 above shall cease when the person voluntarily remains in the territory of the foreign State for more than 45 days from the date when his presence is no longer required or, having left that territory, voluntarily returned to it.

3. The provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis to any person habitually resident in a foreign State who comes to Portugal as a result of a summons to appear for purposes of criminal proceedings.

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.