Part 5
Other Requests

55.—
(1) This section applies where the Minister receives a request from the International Criminal Court under Article 93.1(f) for the temporary transfer to it of a person in custody in the State for identification purposes or for obtaining testimony or other assistance.

(2) The Minister may, subject to section 4, by order require such a person—

(a) to be taken in custody from the place in which he or she is detained to a place of departure from the State for delivery into the custody of a person authorised in that behalf by the Court, and
(b) on the person’s return from the Court, to be taken back in custody to the place where he or she was detained unless, in the case of a person serving a sentence of imprisonment or detention, the sentence has expired.

(3) An order under this section—

(a) may be made—

(i) only with the person’s consent, or
(ii) where it appears to the Minister inappropriate for the person to give consent by reason of the person’s physical or mental condition or his or her youth, only if consent has been given by a person appearing to the Minister to be an appropriate person to do so,
and

(b) may make the transfer subject to conditions, including conditions relating to—

(i) the return of the person to the State, and
(ii) the person’s custody while outside the State.

(4) A person (other than a member of the Garda Síochána) who has custody under subsection (2) of a person who is being taken from or to the place where he or she is or was detained is deemed for the purposes of that subsection to be such a member.

(5) If a person escapes from custody or is unlawfully at large while in transit in the State to or from the Court, he or she may be arrested without warrant by a member of the Garda Síochána or other person in whose custody he or she is and taken to any place to which he or she may be taken in accordance with an order under this section.

(6) (a) A person who is serving a sentence of imprisonment or detention or who is otherwise in custody shall continue to serve the sentence or to remain in custody while the person is in transit to or from the place of departure or is in the custody of the Court.
(b) The Minister shall inform the Court of the date of expiry of any such sentence.

(7) In this section “custody” includes custody in the State while awaiting trial or sentence or in default of paying a fine or other sum due under an order of a court.