Privileges and immunities – experts – APIC

Independent State of Samoa

International Criminal Court Act 2007, No.26

PART VIII LEGAL STATUS OF THE ICC AND PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF OFFICIALS OF THE ICC

108. Legal personality and privileges and immunities-

(3) The Judges, the Attorney General, the Assistant Attorneys General, the Prosecutor, the Deputy Prosecutors, the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar, staff of the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Prosecutor and of the Registry, counsel, experts, witnesses, and other persons required to be in Samoa for the performance of official functions or for participation in proceedings before the ICC shall have the privileges and immunities set out in article 48 of the Statute and the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the ICC.

(4) Article 48 of the Statute and articles 2 to 11, 13 to 22, 25 to 27, 29 and 30 of the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the ICC shall have the force of law in Samoa, and references in those articles to the State Party shall, for this purpose, be construed as references to Samoa.

APIC

ARTICLE 21 Experts

1. Experts performing functions for the Court shall be accorded the following privileges, immunities and facilities to the extent necessary for the independent exercise of their functions, including the time spent on journeys in connection with their functions, subject to production of the document referred to in paragraph 2 of this article:

(a) Immunity from personal arrest or detention and from seizure of their personal baggage;

(b) Immunity from legal process of every kind in respect of words spoken or written and all acts performed by them in the course of the performance of their functions for the Court, which immunity shall continue to be accorded even after the termination of their functions;

(c) Inviolability of papers and documents in whatever form and materials relating to their functions for the Court;

(d) For the purposes of their communications with the Court, the right to receive and send papers and documents in whatever form and materials relating to their functions for the Court by courier or in sealed bags;

(e) Exemption from inspection of personal baggage, unless there are serious grounds for believing that the baggage contains articles the import or export of which is prohibited by law or controlled by the quarantine regulations of the State Party concerned; an inspection in such a case shall be conducted in the presence of the expert concerned;

(f) The same privileges in respect of currency and exchange facilities as are accorded to representatives of foreign Governments on temporary official missions;

(g) The same repatriation facilities in time of international crisis as are accorded to diplomatic agents under the Vienna Convention;

(h) Exemption from immigration restrictions or alien registration in relation to their functions as specified in the document referred to in paragraph 2 of this article.

2. Experts who enjoy the privileges, immunities and facilities referred to in paragraph 1 of this article shall be provided by the Court with a document certifying that they are performing functions for the Court and specifying a time period for which their functions will last.