PART X – APPEALS FROM COURTS MARTIAL
186. Appeal to High Court
(1) If a person has been convicted by a court-martial—
(a) the person convicted may appeal to the High Court and make subsequent appeals to any other superior court, against the conviction, the sentence, or both; or
(b) the Director of Public Prosecutions may appeal to the High Court and make subsequent appeals to any other superior court against the sentence.
(2) If a person has been acquitted of a charge by a court-martial, the Director of
Public Prosecutions may appeal to the High Court and make subsequent appeals
to any other superior court against the acquittal.
187. Notice of Appeal
(1) An appeal to the High Court shall not lie unless a notice of Appeal is lodged with the Registrar within twenty-one days after the acquittal, conviction or sentence, as the case may be.
(2) The notice of appeal shall be in the prescribed form.
(3) Except in the case of a conviction involving sentence of death, the High Court may extend the period within which a notice or Appeal shall be lodged, whether that period has expired or not.
(4) An appellant may present the appeal case in writing.
188. Determination of appeal in ordinary cases
(1) Subject to section 189, the High Court shall—
(a) allow an appeal against conviction and quash the conviction if it considers that the conviction—
(i) is unreasonable;
(ii) cannot be supported, having regard to the evidence;
(iii) involves a wrong decision on a question of law; or
(iv) there was a miscarriage of justice,
unless the court finds that no substantial miscarriage of justice has actually occurred; or
(b) dismiss the appeal.
(2) The court shall allow an appeal against acquittal and convict the accused if it considers that—
(a) the evidence was such that the person acquitted should have been convicted; or
(b) the acquittal involves a wrong decision on a question of law, and shall pass such sentence as it thinks proper, and otherwise it shall dismiss the appeal, and section 173 shall apply as it applies to a trial by a court-martial.
(3) On an appeal against sentence, the court may reduce or increase the sentence or alter the nature of the sentence, as it thinks proper.
189. Powers of court in special cases
(1) If the High Court determines that an appellant—
(a) was not properly convicted on a particular charge brought before the court-martial; and
(b) was properly convicted on some other charge so brought, then, if the sentence passed by the court-martial on the appellant was not one which could lawfully be passed for the offence of which the appellant was convicted on that other charge, the High Court shall pass on the appellant such sentence as it thinks proper, in substitution for the sentence passed by the court-martial.
(2) If an appellant has been convicted of an offence, and—
(a) the court-martial could lawfully have convicted the appellant of some other offence; and
(b) it appears to the High Court that the court-martial shall have been satisfied of facts which proved the appellant guilty of that other offence, the High Court may, instead of allowing or dismissing the appeal, substitute for the finding of the court-martial a finding of guilty of the other offence and pass on the appellant such sentence as it thinks proper (being a sentence which could lawfully have been passed for that other offence and not one of greater severity), in substitution for the sentence passed by the court-martial.
(3) If—
(a) an appellant has been convicted of an offence committed in circumstances involving the greater of two punishments, and it appears to the High Court that the court-martial ought to have found the appellant guilty of an offence as being committed in circumstances involving the less punishment; or
(b) an appellant has been convicted of an offence and it appears to the High Court that the court-martial ought to have convicted the appellant of the offence subject to exceptions or variations, the High Court, instead of allowing or dismissing the appeal, may substitute for the conviction a conviction of the offence as being committed in circumstances involving the less punishment or, as the case may be, a conviction of the offence subject to exceptions or variations, and pass on the appellant such sentence as it thinks proper (being a sentence which could lawfully have been passed, for the offence specified or involved in the substituted finding and not one of greater severity) in substitution for the sentence passed by the court-martial.
(4) If, on an appeal, the High Court considers that the appellant did the act or made the omission charged but was insane so as not to be responsible for the acts or omissions at the time when the act was done or the omission was made, it shall quash the conviction and substitute a special finding that the appellant was guilty of the act or omission charged but was insane, and section 179(2) shall apply accordingly.
(5) The term of any sentence of imprisonment passed by the High Court under this section shall, unless the High Court otherwise directs, run from the time from which it would have run if it had been passed in the proceedings appealed against, and a sentence passed by the High Court shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act to be a sentence passed by the court-martial.
190. Court may appoint expert
The High Court may appoint a person with special or expert knowledge to assist the Court in any such manner as it deems expedient in the discharge of justice, if the court considers that such knowledge is required for the proper determination of an appeal before it.
191. Proceedings to be heard in absence of appellant
(1) An appellant shall not be entitled to be present at the hearing of an appeal or at any proceedings preliminary or incidental to such an appeal, except where—
(a) rules of court provide that the appellant shall have the right to be present; or
(b) the High Court grants leave to be present.
(2) Any power of the High Court under this Part to make a determination or pass a sentence may be exercised despite the absence of the appellant.
192. Defence on appeal
If a person appeals against a conviction, sentence or both, the Director of Public Prosecutions shall make arrangements for the defence of the appeal.
193. Person sentenced to death to have opportunity to appeal
If a person is convicted by a court-martial and sentenced to death that person—
(a) shall not be executed until after the expiration of the period within which a notice of appeal may be lodged to the High Court against the conviction or sentence or both; and
(b) if such a notice is duly lodged, the sentence shall not be executed until either the notice is withdrawn or the appeal is determined or abandoned.
194. Removal of prisoner
An appellant who is in custody, shall be taken to, kept in custody at, and brought back from, any place at which the appellant is entitled to be present for the purposes of this Part in the prescribed manner, and the High Court may order the appellant to be taken to any prescribed place for the purpose of any proceedings of the High Court.
195. Composition of court
Upon the hearing of an appeal under this Part, the High Court shall consist of one or more Judges.
196. Furnishing of documents
In the case of an appeal, under this Part, it shall be the duty of the Defence Court Administrator to furnish the Registrar, in accordance with rules of court martial, with a record of the proceedings of the court-martial.
197. Duties of Registrar
(1) The Registrar shall take all necessary steps obtaining the determination of an appeal under this Part, and shall obtain and lay before the High Court in proper form all documents, exhibits and other things relating to the proceedings before the court-martial that appear necessary for the proper determination of appeal.
(2) The Registrar shall furnish the necessary forms and instructions relating to an appeal under this Part to any person who asks for them, to persons in charge of prisons and to such other persons as the registrar thinks fit, and every person in charge of a prison shall cause the forms and instructions so furnished to be placed at the disposal of persons imprisoned who desire to lodge an appeal under this Part.
PART X – APPEALS FROM COURTS MARTIAL
191. Proceedings to be heard in absence of appellant
(1) An appellant shall not be entitled to be present at the hearing of an appeal or at any proceedings preliminary or incidental to such an appeal, except where—
(a) rules of court provide that the appellant shall have the right to be present; or
(b) the High Court grants leave to be present.
6. Antes de la confirmación de los cargos, la impugnación de la admisibilidad de una causa o de la competencia de la Corte será asignada a la Sala de Cuestiones Preliminares. Después de confirmados los cargos, será asignada a la Sala de Primera Instancia. Las decisiones relativas a la competencia o la admisibilidad podrán ser recurridas ante la Sala de Apelaciones de conformidad con el artículo 82.
1. Los fallos dictados de conformidad con el artículo 74 serán apelables de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba, según se dispone a continuación:
(a) El Fiscal podrá apelar por alguno de los motivos siguientes:
(i) Vicio de procedimiento;
(ii) Error de hecho; o
(iii) Error de derecho;
(b) El condenado, o el Fiscal en su nombre, podrá apelar por alguno de los motivos siguientes:
(i) Vicio de procedimiento;
(ii) Error de hecho;
(iii) Error de derecho;
(iv) Cualquier otro motivo que afecte a la justicia o a la regularidad del proceso o del fallo.
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(a) El Fiscal o el condenado podrán apelar de una pena impuesta, de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba, en razón de una desproporción entre el crimen y la pena;
(b) La Corte, si al conocer de la apelación de una pena impuesta, considerase que hay fundamentos para revocar la condena en todo o parte, podrá invitar al Fiscal y al condenado a que presenten sus argumentos de conformidad con los apartados (a) o (b) del párrafo 1 del artículo 81 y podrá dictar una decisión respecto de la condena de conformidad con el artículo 83;
(c) Este procedimiento también será aplicable cuando la Corte, al conocer de una apelación contra el fallo condenatorio únicamente, considere que hay fundamentos para reducir la pena en virtud del párrafo 2 a).
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(a) Salvo que la Sala de Primera Instancia ordene otra cosa, el condenado permanecerá privado de libertad mientras se falla la apelación;
(b) Cuando la duración de la detención fuese mayor que la de la pena de prisión impuesta, el condenado será puesto en libertad; sin embargo, si el Fiscal también apelase, esa libertad podrá quedar sujeta a las condiciones enunciadas en el apartado siguiente;
(c) Si la sentencia fuere absolutoria, el acusado será puesto en libertad de inmediato, con sujeción a las normas siguientes:
(i) En circunstancias excepcionales y teniendo en cuenta entre otras cosas, el riesgo concreto de fuga, la gravedad del delito y las probabilidades de que se dé lugar a la apelación, la Sala de Primera Instancia, a solicitud del Fiscal, podrá decretar que siga privado de la libertad mientras dure la apelación;
(ii) Las decisiones dictadas por la Sala de Primera Instancia en virtud del inciso precedente serán apelables de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba.
4. Con sujeción a lo dispuesto en los apartados (a) y (b) del párrafo 3, la ejecución de la decisión o sentencia será suspendida durante el plazo fijado para la apelación y mientras dure el procedimiento de apelación.
1. Cualquiera de las partes podrá apelar, de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba, de las siguientes decisiones:
(a) Una decisión relativa a la competencia o la admisibilidad;
(b) Una decisión por la que se autorice o deniegue la libertad de la persona objeto de investigación o enjuiciamiento;
(c) Una decisión de la Sala de Cuestiones Preliminares de actuar de oficio de conformidad con el párrafo 3 del artículo 56;
(d) Una decisión relativa a una cuestión que afecte de forma significativa a la justicia y a la prontitud con que se sustancia el proceso o a su resultado y respecto de la cual, en opinión de la Sala de Cuestiones Preliminares o la Sala de Primera Instancia, un dictamen inmediato de la Sala de Apelaciones pueda acelerar materialmente el proceso.
2. El Estado de que se trate o el Fiscal, con la autorización de la Sala de Cuestiones Preliminares, podrá apelar de una decisión adoptada por esta Sala de conformidad con el párrafo 3 (d) del artículo 57. La apelación será sustanciada en procedimiento sumario.
3. La apelación no suspenderá por sí misma el procedimiento a menos que la Sala de Apelaciones así lo resuelva, previa solicitud y de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba.
4. El representante legal de las víctimas, el condenado o el propietario de buena fe de bienes afectados por una providencia dictada en virtud del artículo 75 podrán apelar, de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba, de la decisión por la cual se conceda reparación.
1. Con sujeción a las condiciones que haya establecido un Estado de conformidad con el párrafo 1 (b) del artículo 103, la pena privativa de libertad tendrá carácter obligatorio para los Estados Partes, los cuales no podrán modificarla en caso alguno.
2. La decisión relativa a cualquier solicitud de apelación o revisión incumbirá exclusivamente a la Corte. El Estado de ejecución no pondrá obstáculos para que el condenado presente una solicitud de esa índole.