CHAPTER 11:24
MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS ACT
PART III
REQUESTS BY COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES TO TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO FOR ASSISTANCE
22. Acceptance or refusal of request, etc.
(2) Such a request shall be refused if, in the opinion of the Central Authority—
(a) the request relates to the prosecution or punishment of a person for an offence that is, or is by reason of the circumstances in which it is alleged to have been committed or was committed, an offence of a political character;
(b) there are substantial grounds for believing that the request has been made with a view to prosecuting or punishing a person for an offence of a political character;
(c) there are substantial grounds for believing that the request was made for the purpose of prosecuting, punishing or otherwise causing prejudice to a person on account of the person’s race, sex, religion, nationality, place of origin or political opinions;
(d) the request relates to the prosecution or punishment of a person in respect of conduct that, had it occurred in Trinidad and Tobago, would have constituted a criminal offence under any law giving effect to a state of emergency, but if the conduct alleged would have amounted to a criminal offence under any other law of Trinidad and Tobago, this paragraph shall not apply;
(e) the granting of the request would be contrary to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago or the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago, or would prejudice the security, international relations or any substantial interest related to national security, public interest or other essential public policy of Trinidad and Tobago ;
(f) the request relates to conduct by a person that constitutes an offence in respect of which the person has already been convicted or acquitted by a Court or tribunal in Trinidad and Tobago ;
(g) the request is for the transfer of a prisoner under section 27(1) but the prisoner does not consent to his transfer ;
(h) the request is for assistance of a kind which cannot be given under this Act, or would require steps to be taken for its implementation that could not be lawfully taken ;
(i) the implementation of the request would require an individual to act or refrain from acting in a certain way, and the individual is not willing to do so and cannot be lawfully compelled to do so;
(j) the request relates to an offence which in the requesting country is an offence only under military law or a law relating to military obligations;
(k) the request relates to a criminal offence under the tax laws of a Commonwealth country, save that the assistance may be granted if the offence is committed by way of an intentionally incorrect statement, whether oral or written, or by way of an intentional failure to declare income derived from any other offence covered by the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters; or
(l) it would be contrary to the laws of Trinidad and Tobago.
(3) A request for assistance made by a Commonwealth country may be refused, in whole or in part, if in the opinion of the Central Authority—
(a) the request relates to the prosecution or punishment of a person in respect of conduct that, had it occurred in Trinidad and Tobago, would not have constituted an offence against the laws of Trinidad and Tobago;
(b) the request relates to the prosecution or punishment of a person in respect of conduct that occurred, or is alleged to have occurred, outside the Commonwealth country making the request, and similar conduct occurring outside Trinidad and Tobago in similar circumstances would not have constituted an offence against the laws of Trinidad and Tobago;
(c) the request relates to the prosecution or punishment of a person in respect of conduct where, had it occurred in Trinidad and Tobago and had constituted an offence against the laws of Trinidad and Tobago, the person responsible could no longer be prosecuted by reason of lapse of time or for any other reason;
(d) the request was made by a special or ad hoc tribunal;
(e) the provision of the assistance would impose an excessive burden on the resources of Trinidad and Tobago ;
(f) any conditions, exceptions or qualifications imposed pursuant to section 4 in relation to the Commonwealth country, prevent the request from being accepted;
(g) the request does not meet the requirements of the First Schedule; or
(h) there are other reasonable grounds for doing so.
(4) If, in the opinion of the Central Authority, the expenses involved in complying with a request for assistance would be of an extraordinary nature, it shall consult the central authority for the Commonwealth country as to the terms and conditions under which compliance with the request may continue and, in the absence of agreement in that regard, it may refuse to continue further with the request.
(5) If a request for assistance made by a Commonwealth country, other than an informal one, is refused, the fact of, and the grounds for, the refusal shall be given by the Central Authority to the central authority for that country.
(6) For the purposes of this section, an offence is not an offence of a political character if it is an offence within the scope of any international convention to which both Trinidad and Tobago and the Commonwealth country making the request are parties, and which imposes on the parties thereto, an obligation to afford mutual assistance in criminal matters relating to the offence.
1. El Estado Parte que haya recibido una solicitud de la Corte relativa a la entrega de una persona de conformidad con el artículo 89, y reciba además una solicitud de cualquier otro Estado relativa a la extradición de la misma persona por la misma conducta que constituya la base del crimen en razón del cual la Corte ha pedido la entrega, notificará a la Corte y al Estado requirente ese hecho.
2. Si el Estado requirente es un Estado Parte, el Estado requerido dará prioridad a la solicitud de la Corte cuando ésta:
(a) Haya determinado, de conformidad con lo dispuesto en los artículos 18 ó 19, que la causa respecto de la cual se solicita la entrega es admisible y en su decisión haya tenido en cuenta la investigación o el enjuiciamiento que lleva a cabo el Estado requirente con respecto a la solicitud de extradición que éste ha presentado; o
(b) Adopte la decisión a que se refiere el apartado (a) como consecuencia de la notificación efectuada por el Estado requerido de conformidad con el párrafo 1.
3. Cuando no se haya adoptado la decisión a que se hace referencia en el párrafo 2 (a), el Estado requerido tendrá la facultad discrecional, hasta que se dicte la decisión de la Corte prevista en el párrafo 2 (b), de dar curso a la solicitud de extradición presentada por el Estado requirente, pero no la hará efectiva hasta que la Corte haya resuelto que la causa es inadmisible. La Corte adoptará su decisión en procedimiento sumario.
4. Si el Estado requirente no es parte en el presente Estatuto, el Estado requerido, en caso de que no esté obligado por alguna norma internacional a conceder la extradición al Estado requirente, dará prioridad a la solicitud de entrega que le haya hecho la Corte si ésta ha determinado que la causa era admisible.
5. Cuando la Corte no haya determinado la admisibilidad de una causa de conformidad con el párrafo 4, el Estado requerido tendrá la facultad discrecional de dar curso a la solicitud de extradición que le haya hecho el Estado requirente.
6. En los casos en que sea aplicable el párrafo 4, y salvo que el Estado requerido esté obligado por alguna norma internacional a extraditar la persona al Estado requirente que no sea parte en el presente Estatuto, el Estado requerido decidirá si hace la entrega a la Corte o concede la extradición al Estado requirente. Para tomar esta decisión, el Estado requerido tendrá en cuenta todos los factores pertinentes, entre otros:
(a) Las fechas respectivas de las solicitudes;
(b) Los intereses del Estado requirente y, cuando proceda, si el crimen se cometió en su territorio y cuál es la nacionalidad de las víctimas y de la persona cuya entrega o extradición se ha solicitado; y
(c) La posibilidad de que la Corte y el Estado requirente lleguen posteriormente a un acuerdo respecto de la entrega.
7. Cuando el Estado Parte que reciba una solicitud de la Corte de entrega de una persona reciba también una solicitud de otro Estado relativa a la extradición de la misma persona por una conducta distinta de la que constituye el crimen en razón del cual la Corte solicita la entrega:
(a) El Estado requerido, si no está obligado por ninguna norma internacional a conceder la extradición al Estado requirente, dará preferencia a la solicitud de la Corte;
(b) El Estado requerido, si está obligado por una norma internacional a conceder la extradición al Estado requirente, decidirá si entrega la persona a la Corte o la extradita al Estado requirente. En esta decisión, el Estado requerido tendrá en cuenta todos los factores pertinentes y, entre otros, los enumerados en el párrafo 6, pero tendrá especialmente en cuenta la naturaleza y la gravedad relativas de la conducta de que se trate.
Cuando, como consecuencia de una notificación efectuada con arreglo al presente artículo, la Corte haya determinado la inadmisibilidad de una causa y posteriormente se deniegue la extradición al Estado requirente, el Estado requerido notificará su decisión a la Corte.
4. El Estado Parte podrá no dar lugar a una solicitud de asistencia, en su totalidad o en parte, de conformidad con el artículo 72 y únicamente si la solicitud se refiere a la presentación de documentos o la divulgación de pruebas que afecten a su seguridad nacional.