Request for arrest and surrender

New Zealand

International War Crimes Tribunals Act 1995

Part 1
Request by a Tribunal for assistance

4 Tribunal may request assistance

(3) without limiting the generality of subsection (1), a Tribunal may make a request for assistance of any 1 or more of the following types :

(a) arresting and surrendering to the Tribunal a person in relation to whom the Tribunal has issued an arrest warrant :
(b) executing a request for search and seizure:
(c) obtaining evidence or a document or other article:
(d) providing a document or other record:
(e) locating and identifying a witness or suspect:
(f) arranging for a person to give evidence or assist an in-vestigation:
(g) causing the forfeiture of tainted property:
(h) serving documents:
(i) arranging for the Tribunal to sit in New Zealand.

Part 2
Arrest and surrender of person to a Tribunal

Arrest of persons

6 Notice by Attorney-General
(1) Where—

(a) the Attorney-General receives from a Tribunal a request for the surrender of a person ; and
(b) the request is accompanied by an arrest warrant in relation to the person that was issued by the Tribunal, or by a copy of that warrant authenticated by the Tribunal,—

the Attorney-General shall, by notice in writing, directed to any Judge, state that the request has been received.

(2) Where any notice is sent to a Judge under subsection (1), a copy of—

(a) the arrest warrant referred to in subsection (1)(b) ; and
(b) the request made under section 4—

shall also be sent to the Judge.

7 Issue of warrants
(1) The Judge to whom a notice is sent under section 6 shall, without undue delay, issue a warrant in the prescribed form for the arrest of the person named in the notice if the Judge is of the opinion, having regard to the documents forwarded under section 6 and to any other evidence that is available to the Judge, that the person named in the warrant is or may be in or travelling to New Zealand.

(2) When the Judge has considered whether or not to issue a warrant in accordance with this section, the Judge shall send to the Attorney-General written notice of his or her decision.

8 Cancellation of warrant
(1) Where the Attorney-General is satisfied that there are special circumstances that make it unjust or otherwise inappropriate for a warrant issued under section 7 to continue in force, the Attorney-General shall, by notice in writing, order the cancel-lation of the warrant.

(2) Where the Attorney-General orders the cancellation of a war¬rant under subsection (1) the warrant shall cease to have effect and any person arrested under the warrant shall be released, unless the person is otherwise liable to be detained in custody.

9 Remand
(1) A person who is arrested under a warrant issued under section 7 shall, unless the warrant ceases to have effect under section 8, be brought before a Judge as soon as is practicable.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), the Judge shall remand the person in custody or on bail for such period or periods as may be necessary to enable the Attorney-General to make a surrender determination under section 12.

Where any person is remanded in custody or on bail under this section, the provisions of sections 167 to 169 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 and sections 28, 30 to 32, 34 and 35, and 37 to 39 of the Bail Act 2000 shall apply as if the person had been arrested for an offence punishable by imprisonment and with any other necessary modifications.

10 Release from remand at direction of Attorney-General
(1) Where a person has been remanded under section 9 and the Attorney-General is satisfied that there are special circumstances

(1) that make it unjust or otherwise inappropriate for the remand to continue, the Attorney-General shall, by notice in writing, order the release from custody of the person or the discharge of the conditions on which bail was granted to the person, as the case may be.

(2) Where the Attorney-General makes an order under subsection (1) in relation to a person who has been remanded in custody, a copy of the notice shall be sent to the prison manager of the prison in which the person is detained, and upon receipt of the notice the person in custody shall be released unless the person is otherwise liable to be detained in custody.

(3) Where the Attorney-General makes an order under subsection (1) in relation to a person who has been remanded on bail, a copy of the notice shall be sent to the Registrar of the court at which the person was released on bail.

11 Application for search warrant
Where—

(a) a person is arrested under a warrant issued under section 7 ; and
(b) a constable who is of or above the level of position of in-spector has reasonable
grounds for believing that there is in or on any place or thing any thing that is relevant to the Tribunal offence in respect of which the warrant was issued,—

the constable may apply to an issuing officer for the issue of a search warrant in accordance with section 48.


Surrender of persons

12 Surrender determination by Attorney-General
(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Attorney-General shall determine whether a person remanded under sections 6 to 11 is to be surrendered to the Tribunal.

(2) Unless the Attorney-General is satisfied that there are special circumstances that would make it unjust or otherwise inappropriate to surrender the person, the Attorney-General shall determine that the person is to be surrendered to the Tribunal.

(3) The determination shall be made as soon as is reasonably practicable, having regard to the circumstances, after the person is first remanded under section 9.

(4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), every determination required to be made under this section shall be made within 6 months of the date on which the person was first remanded under section 9.

13 Release from remand on refusal to surrender person
(1) Where the Attorney-General has determined not to surrender the person to the Tribunal, the Attorney-General shall, by no¬tice in writing, order, as the case may require,—

(a) the release of the person from custody ; or
(b) the discharge of the recognisances on which bail was granted to the person.

(2) Where the Attorney-General makes an order under subsection (1) in relation to a person who has been remanded in cus-tody, a copy of the notice shall be sent to the prison manager of the prison in which the person is detained, and upon receipt of the notice the person in custody shall be released unless the person is otherwise liable to be detained in custody.

(3) Where the Attorney-General makes an order under subsection (1) in relation to a person who has been remanded on bail, a copy of the notice shall be sent to the Registrar of the court at which the person was released on bail.

14 Surrender warrant
(1) Subject to section 15, where the Attorney-General determines that the person is to be surrendered to the Tribunal, the Attorney-General shall issue a warrant for the surrender of the person to the Tribunal.

(2) The surrender warrant shall be in writing in the prescribed form.

15 Persons imprisoned under New Zealand law
(1) The Attorney-General shall not issue a surrender warrant if

(a) the person is serving a sentence of imprisonment in re-spect of an offence against the law of New Zealand ; and

(b) the Tribunal has been required to give adequate under-takings to the Attorney-General relating to
(i) the person's return to New Zealand to serve the remainder of the sentence once the person is no longer required to be detained by, or on the order of, the Tribunal ; and
(ii) the person's custody while travelling, and while in other countries, for the Tribunal's purposes ; and

(c) the Attorney-General is not satisfied that the Tribunal has given adequate undertakings relating to those matters.

(2) For the purposes of this section, the person is not taken to be serving a sentence of imprisonment if he or she has been released on parole or licence, or has been otherwise conditionally released, for the remainder of the sentence.

16 Detention following surrender warrant
(1) Where the Attorney-General issues a surrender warrant under section 14, the person shall, if he or she is in custody, be brought as soon as is practicable before a Judge.

(2) Where the Attorney-General issues a surrender warrant under section 14 and the person has been remanded on bail, any constable may arrest that person without warrant, and the person shall be brought as soon as is practicable before a Judge.

(3) The Judge shall order the committal of the person to a prison to remain there until he or she is surrendered or released ac¬cording to law.

17 Content of surrender warrant
(1) A surrender warrant in relation to a person (in this section re-ferred to as the "eligible person") shall—

(a) require the person in whose custody the eligible person is being held to release the eligible person into the custody of a constable ; and

(b) authorise the constable to transport the eligible person in custody, and, if necessary or convenient, to detain the eligible person in custody, for the purpose of enabling the eligible person
(i) to be placed in the custody of a specified person who is an officer of the Tribunal or other person authorised by the Tribunal ; and
(ii) to be transported to a place specified by the Tribunal ; and

(c) authorise the specified person to transport the eligible person in custody to a place specified by the Tribunal for the purpose of surrendering the eligible person to a person appointed by the Tribunal to receive the person.

(2) A place referred to in subsection (1 )(b) or (c) may be a place in or outside New Zealand.

18 Release from remand
(1) This section applies to a person

(a) in relation to whom a surrender warrant has been issued ; and
(b) who is in custody in New Zealand under the warrant, or otherwise under this Act, more than 2 months after the day on which the warrant was first liable to be executed.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), the High Court shall order that a person to whom this section applies be released from that custody if—

(a) the person has made an application to the High Court to be released ; and
(b) reasonable notice of the intention to apply to the High Court was given by the person to the Attorney-General.

(3) The High Court shall not order that the person be released from custody if it is satisfied that the surrender warrant has not been executed within the period of 2 months, or since the person last made an application under subsection (2), as the case may be,—

(a) because to do so would have been dangerous to the per¬son's life or prejudicial to the person's health ; or
(b) for any other reasonable cause.

19 Effect of surrender on prisoner's sentence

(1) ubject to subsection (2), where a person who is serving a sentence in respect of an offence against the law of New Zealand is surrendered to a Tribunal under this Part, the person shall, while he or she is in the custody of, or on the order of, the Tribunal (including custody outside New Zealand), be eemed to be continuing to serve that sentence.

(2) If the person is convicted of a Tribunal offence, time spent by the person in custody serving a sentence of imprisonment imposed by the Tribunal for the Tribunal offence is not to be counted as time towards the sentence referred to in subsection (1).

20 Expiry of New Zealand sentences while under Tribunal detention
If—

(a) at the time a person was surrendered to a Tribunal under this Part, the person was serving a sentence of imprisonment in respect of an offence against the law of New Zealand ; and
(b) the sentence of imprisonment that the person was serving at that time expires while the person is being detained by, or on the order of, the Tribunal,—

the Attorney-General must without delay inform the Tribunal of the expiry, and, if the Tribunal was required to give undertakings in accordance with section 15(1)(b), that the undertakings are no longer required to be complied with.

Rome Statute

Article 59 Arrest proceedings in the custodial State

1. A State Party which has received a request for provisional arrest or for arrest and surrender shall immediately take steps to arrest the person in question in accordance with its laws and the provisions of Part 9.

2. A person arrested shall be brought promptly before the competent judicial authority in the custodial State which shall determine, in accordance with the law of that State, that:

(a) The warrant applies to that person;

(b) The person has been arrested in accordance with the proper process; and

(c) The person's rights have been respected.

3. The person arrested shall have the right to apply to the competent authority in the custodial State for interim release pending surrender.

4. In reaching a decision on any such application, the competent authority in the custodial State shall consider whether, given the gravity of the alleged crimes, there are urgent and exceptional circumstances to justify interim release and whether necessary safeguards exist to ensure that the custodial State can fulfil its duty to surrender the person to the Court. It shall not be open to the competent authority of the custodial State to consider whether the warrant of arrest was properly issued in accordance with article 58, paragraph 1 (a) and (b).

5. The Pre-Trial Chamber shall be notified of any request for interim release and shall make recommendations to the competent authority in the custodial State. The competent authority in the custodial State shall give full consideration to such recommendations, including any recommendations on measures to prevent the escape of the person, before rendering its decision.

6. If the person is granted interim release, the Pre-Trial Chamber may request periodic reports on the status of the interim release.

7. Once ordered to be surrendered by the custodial State, the person shall be delivered to the Court as soon as possible.

Article 89 Surrender of persons to the Court

1. The Court may transmit a request for the arrest and surrender of a person, together with the material supporting the request outlined in article 91, to any State on the territory of which that person may be found and shall request the cooperation of that State in the arrest and surrender of such a person. States Parties shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Part and the procedure under their national law, comply with requests for arrest and surrender.