Consultations with the Court

South Africa

Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Act No. 27 of 2002)

Chapter 4
Cooperation with and assistence to Court in or outside South Africa

Part 1
Cooperation with court: arrest of persons and their surrender to court (ss 8-13)

10 Proceedings before competent court after arrest for purposes of surrender

(2) The magistrate may at any time during the inquiry postpone that inquiry for purposes of consultation between the relevant authorities of the Republic and the Court where any problem is experienced with the execution of any request of the Court for cooperation or judicial assistance.

CHAPTER 4
COOPERATION WITH AND ASSISTANCE TO COURT IN OR OUTSIDE SOUTH AFRICA (ss 8-32)

Part 1
Cooperation with court: arrest of persons and their surrender to court (ss 8-13)

10 Proceedings before competent court after arrest for purposes of surrender

(8) (a) No order for the surrender of any person may be executed-

(e) If an appeal in terms of-

(i) paragraph (b) is upheld, the Registrar of the High Court concerned must notify the magistrate in question accordingly, who must, in turn, immediately cancel the order referred to in section 10 (5), notify the Court thereof through the Central Authority and cause the person who lodged the appeal to be released from custody if he or she is in detention;

Rome Statute

Article 89 Surrender of persons to the Court

2. Where the person sought for surrender brings a challenge before a national court on the basis of the principle of ne bis in idem as provided in article 20, the requested State shall immediately consult with the Court to determine if there has been a relevant ruling on admissibility. If the case is admissible, the requested State shall proceed with the execution of the request. If an admissibility ruling is pending, the requested State may postpone the execution of the request for surrender of the person until the Court makes a determination on admissibility.

4. If the person sought is being proceeded against or is serving a sentence in the requested State for a crime different from that for which surrender to the Court is sought, the requested State, after making its decision to grant the request, shall consult with the Court.

Article 91 Contents of request for arrest and surrender

4. Upon the request of the Court, a State Party shall consult with the Court, either generally or with respect to a specific matter, regarding any requirements under its national law that may apply under paragraph 2 (c). During the consultations, the State Party shall advise the Court of the specific requirements of its national law.

Article 93 Other forms of cooperation

3. Where execution of a particular measure of assistance detailed in a request presented under paragraph 1, is prohibited in the requested State on the basis of an existing fundamental legal principle of general application, the requested State shall promptly consult with the Court to try to resolve the matter. In the consultations, consideration should be given to whether the assistance can be rendered in another manner or subject to conditions. If after consultations the matter cannot be resolved, the Court shall modify the request as necessary.

9.

(a)

(i) In the event that a State Party receives competing requests, other than for surrender or extradition, from the Court and from another State pursuant to an international obligation, the State Party shall endeavour, in consultation with the Court and the other State, to meet both requests, if necessary by postponing or attaching conditions to one or the other request.

Article 96 Contents of request for other forms of assistance under article 93

3. Upon the request of the Court, a State Party shall consult with the Court, either generally or with respect to a specific matter, regarding any requirements under its national law that may apply under paragraph 2 (e). During the consultations, the State Party shall advise the Court of the specific requirements of its national law.

Article 97 Consultations

Where a State Party receives a request under this Part in relation to which it identifies problems which may impede or prevent the execution of the request, that State shall consult with the Court without delay in order to resolve the matter. Such problems may include, inter alia:

(a) Insufficient information to execute the request;

(b) In the case of a request for surrender, the fact that despite best efforts, the person sought cannot be located or that the investigation conducted has determined that the person in the requested State is clearly not the person named in the warrant; or

(c) The fact that execution of the request in its current form would require the requested State to breach a pre-existing treaty obligation undertaken with respect to another State.