CHAPTER III – THE RECOGNITION AND PROTECTION OF FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND
FREEDOMS OF THE INDIVIDUAL
23. (1) Whenever any person is charged with a criminal offence he shall unless the charge is withdrawn, be afforded a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial court established by law.
(2) Any court or other authority prescribed by law for the determination of the existence or extent of civil rights or obligations shall be independent and impartial; and where proceedings for such determination are instituted by or against any person or authority or the Government before such court or authority, the case shall be given fair hearing within a reasonable time.
(3) All proceedings of every court and proceedings relating to the determination of the existence or the extent of civil rights or obligations before any court or other authority, including the announcement of the decision of the court or other authority, shall be held in public :
Provided that the court or other authority may, to such an extent as it may consider necessary or expedient in circumstances where publicity would prejudice the interest of justice or interlocutory civil proceedings or to such extent as it may be empowered or required by law so to do in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality, the welfare of persons under the age of twenty-one years or the protection of the private lives of persons concerned in the proceedings, exclude from its proceedings, persons other than the parties thereto and their legal representatives.
(4) Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved, or has pleaded guilty :
Provided that nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this subsection, to the extent that the law in question imposes on any person charged as aforesaid the burden of proving particular facts.
(5) Every person who is charged with a criminal offence —
a. shall be informed at the time he is charged in the language which he understands and in detail, of the nature of the offence charged ;
b. shall be given adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defence ;
c. shall be permitted to defend himself in person or by a legal practitioner of his own choice ;
d. shall be afforded facilities to examine in person or by his legal practitioner the witnesses called by the prosecution before any court and to obtain the attendance and carry out the examination of witnesses to testify on his behalf before the court on the same conditions as those applying to witnesses called by the prosecution ; and
e. shall be permitted to have without payment the assistance of an interpreter if he cannot understand the language used at the trial of the charge :
Provided that nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this subsection to the extent that the law in question prohibits legal representation in a Local Court.
(6) When a person is tried for any criminal offence, the accused person or any person authorised by him in that behalf shall if he so requires, and subject to the payment of such reasonable fee as may be prescribed by law, be given within a reasonable time, and in any event not more than three months after trial, a copy for the use of the accused person of any record of the proceedings made by or on behalf of the court.
(7) No person shall be held to be guilty of a criminal offence on account of any act or omission which did not, at the time it took place, constitute such an offence.
(8) No penalty shall be imposed for any criminal offence which is severer in degree or description than the maximum penalty which might have been imposed for that offence at the time when it was committed.
(9) No person who shows that he has been tried by any competent court for a criminal offence and either convicted or acquitted shall again be tried for that offence or for any other offence of which he could have been convicted at the trial for that offence save upon the order of a superior court made in the course of appeal proceedings relating to the conviction or acquittal; and no person shall be tried for a criminal offence if he shows that he has been pardoned for that offence :
Provided that nothing in any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this subsection by reason only that it authorises any court to try a member of a defence force for a criminal offence notwithstanding any trial and conviction or acquittal of that member under service law ; but any court so trying such a member and convicting him shall in sentencing him to any punishment take into account any punishment awarded him under service law.
(10) Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of any provisions of this section, other than subsections (7) and (8), to the extent that the law in question authorises the taking during a period of public emergency of measures that are reasonably justifiable for the purpose of dealing with the situation that exists before or during that period of public emergency.
(11) In paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (5), the expression "legal practitioner" means a person entitled to practise as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court.
PART I – GENERAL PROVISIONS PROCEDURE
DEPOSITION AND STATEMENTS
67. Any statement made by the accused at the preliminary investigation may be given in evidence if admissible according to the rules of evidence.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
92. Trials in the Magistrates' Courts shall be conducted summarily in the manner and subject to the conditions laid offences.
93. The room or place in which the Court sits to hear and determine the charge shall be an open and public Court, to which the public generally shall have access as far as it can conveniently contain them.
94. When the accused or defendant comes before the Court on summons or warrant, or otherwise, either originally or on adjournment, then if the prosecutor, having had notice of the time and place appointed for the hearing or adjourned hearing of the charge, does not appear, the Court shall dismiss the charge, unless for some reason it thinks fit to adjourn or further adjourn the hearing.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
96. Where the defendant does not appear personally and pleads guilty in writing under section 21, the Court may proceed to conviction notwithstanding the absence of the prosecutor.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
97. (1) The substance of the charge shall be stated to the accused, or defendant and he shall be asked if he admits or denies the truth of the charge.
(2) The Court shall record the exact words of the answer to the charge made by the accused or defendant and if such answer does not consist merely of the words "guilty" or "not guilty", as the case may be the Court shall record its interpretation of such answer and whether in the opinion of the Court it amounts to a plea of guilty or not guilty as the case may be.
98. If the accused or defendant admits the truth of the charge the Court may convict him thereof, or refuse to accept a plea of in guilty, as it thinks fit.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
101. (1) If at any time or place appointed by summons or on the adjournment of a hearing once begun the defendant does not appear, and if, in the former case, service of the summons on the defendant a reasonable time before the time for his appearance as aforesaid is duly proved, the Court may, if it thinks fit and where the charge is not one of felony, proceed with the hearing, and may convict the defendant in his absence, or refrain from doing so until he shall be brought before it.
(2) The Court may set aside any conviction made in the absence of the defendant upon being satisfied that his absence was due to causes over which he had no control, and that he has a probable defence upon the merits.
(3) Any sentences of imprisonment passed under subsection (1) shall be deemed to commence from the date of arrest.
(4) If the accused person who had not appeared as aforesaid is charged with felony, or if the Court in its discretion refrains from convicting the defendant in his absence, the Court shall issue a warrant for the arrest of the accused, and cause him to be brought before the Court.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
102. (2) The accused or defendant may put questions to each witness produced against him, and the answer of the witness thereto shall be part of his evidence.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
103. (1) At the close of the evidence in support of the charge if it appears to the Court that the case is made out against the accused or the defendant sufficiently to require him to make a defence the Court shall ask him if he wishes to say anything in answer to the charge, or has any witnesses to examine or other evidence to adduce in his defence, and the Court shall then hear the accused or the defendant and his witnesses and other evidence, if any.
(2) If the accused states that he has witnesses to call but they are not present, the Court may, under the circumstances set forth in section 117, take the steps therein mentioned to compel their attendance.
PART II – SUMMARY TRIAL
106. Where at any stage of a trial the Court is of the opinion that the accused or the defendant may be prejudiced or embarrassed in his defence by reason of being charged with more than one offence in the same information or that for any other reason it is desirable to direct that the accused should be tried separately for any one or more offences charged in one information the Court may order a separate trial of any offence or offences charged therein.
PART III – PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS
116. Immediately after the accuses shall so have had opportunity of making his answer to the charge, the Court shall ask him whether he desires to give evidence on his own behalf and whether he desires to call any witnesses, and the evidence of the accused together with the depositions of such witnesses as the accused shall call, and who shall appear on his behalf, shall then be taken in like manner as in the case of the witnesses for the prosecution.
117. If the accused states that he has witnesses to call, but that they are not present in Court, and the Court is satisfied that the absence of the witnesses is not due to any fault of the accused, and that there is a likelihood that they could, if present, give material evidence on his behalf, the Court may adjourn the investigation and issue process, or take other steps, to compel the attendance of such witnesses.
1. En las investigaciones realizadas de conformidad con el presente Estatuto:
(a) Nadie será obligado a declarar contra sí mismo ni a declararse culpable;
(b) Nadie será sometido a forma alguna de coacción, intimidación o amenaza, a torturas ni a otros tratos o castigos crueles, inhumanos o degradantes;
(c) Quien haya de ser interrogado en un idioma que no sea el que comprende y habla perfectamente contará, sin cargo alguno, con los servicios de un intérprete competente y las traducciones que sean necesarias a los efectos de cumplir el requisito de equidad; y
(d) Nadie será sometido a arresto o detención arbitrarios ni será privado de su libertad salvo por los motivos previstos en el presente Estatuto y de conformidad con los procedimientos establecidos en él.
2. Cuando haya motivos para creer que una persona ha cometido un crimen de la competencia de la Corte y esa persona haya de ser interrogada por el Fiscal o por las autoridades nacionales, en cumplimiento de una solicitud hecha de conformidad con lo dispuesto en la Parte IX, tendrá además los derechos siguientes, de los que será informada antes del interrogatorio:
(a) A ser informada de que existen motivos para creer que ha cometido un crimen de la competencia de la Corte;
(b) A guardar silencio, sin que ello pueda tenerse en cuenta a los efectos de determinar su culpabilidad o inocencia;
(c) A ser asistida por un abogado defensor de su elección o, si no lo tuviere, a que se le asigne un defensor de oficio, siempre que fuere necesario en interés de la justicia y, en cualquier caso, sin cargo si careciere de medios suficientes; y
(d) A ser interrogada en presencia de su abogado, a menos que haya renunciado voluntariamente a su derecho a asistencia letrada.
1. El acusado estará presente durante el juicio.
2. Si el acusado, estando presente en la Corte, perturbare continuamente el juicio, la Sala de Primera Instancia podrá disponer que salga de ella y observe el proceso y dé instrucciones a su defensor desde fuera, utilizando, en caso necesario, tecnologías de comunicación. Esas medidas se adoptarán únicamente en circunstancias excepcionales, después de que se haya demostrado que no hay otras posibilidades razonables y adecuadas, y únicamente durante el tiempo que sea estrictamente necesario.
1. Se presumirá que toda persona es inocente mientras no se pruebe su culpabilidad ante la Corte de conformidad con el derecho aplicable.
2. Incumbirá al Fiscal probar la culpabilidad del acusado.
3. Para dictar sentencia condenatoria, la Corte deberá estar convencida de la culpabilidad del acusado más allá de toda duda razonable.
1. En la determinación de cualquier cargo, el acusado tendrá derecho a ser oído públicamente, habida cuenta de las disposiciones del presente Estatuto, y a una audiencia justa e imparcial, así como a las siguientes garantías mínimas en pie de plena igualdad:
(a) A ser informado sin demora y en forma detallada, en un idioma que comprenda y hable perfectamente, de la naturaleza, la causa y el contenido de los cargos que se le imputan;
(b) A disponer del tiempo y de los medios adecuados para la preparación de su defensa y a comunicarse libre y confidencialmente con un defensor de su elección;
(c) A ser juzgado sin dilaciones indebidas;
(d) Con sujeción a lo dispuesto en el párrafo 2 del artículo 63, el acusado tendrá derecho a hallarse presente en el proceso y a defenderse personalmente o ser asistido por un defensor de su elección; a ser informado, si no tuviera defensor, del derecho que le asiste a tenerlo y, siempre que el interés de la justicia lo exija, a que se le nombre defensor de oficio, gratuitamente si careciere de medios suficientes para pagarlo;
(e) A interrogar o hacer interrogar a los testigos de cargo y a obtener la comparecencia de los testigos de descargo y que éstos sean interrogados en las mismas condiciones que los testigos de cargo. El acusado tendrá derecho también a oponer excepciones y a presentar cualquier otra prueba admisible de conformidad con el presente Estatuto;
(f) A ser asistido gratuitamente por un intérprete competente y a obtener las traducciones necesarias para satisfacer los requisitos de equidad, si en las actuaciones ante la Corte o en los documentos presentados a la Corte se emplea un idioma que no comprende y no habla;
(g) A no ser obligado a declarar contra sí mismo ni a declararse culpable y a guardar silencio, sin que ello pueda tenerse en cuenta a los efectos de determinar su culpabilidad o inocencia;
(h) A declarar de palabra o por escrito en su defensa sin prestar juramento; y
(i) A que no se invierta la carga de la prueba ni le sea impuesta la carga de presentar contrapruebas.
2. Además de cualquier otra divulgación de información estipulada en el presente Estatuto, el Fiscal divulgará a la defensa, tan pronto como sea posible, las pruebas que obren en su poder o estén bajo su control y que, a su juicio, indiquen o tiendan a indicar la inocencia del acusado, o a atenuar su culpabilidad, o que puedan afectar a la credibilidad de las pruebas de cargo. En caso de duda acerca de la aplicación de este párrafo, la Corte decidirá.