CHAPTER FIVE
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE

Division Two
Requests by Slovak authorities

Section 532
Form of transmission of requests

(1) Requests for legal assistance emanating from the Slovak pre-trial authorities shall be transmitted abroad through the General Prosecutor’s Office. Requests for legal assistance emanating from the Slovak courts shall be transmitted abroad through the Ministry of Justice. Diplomatic channels shall not be excluded.

(2) If an international treaty provides so, the Slovak authorities may transmit their requests abroad through other channels than the ones provided for in paragraph 1. The policeman may transmit the requests abroad solely through the good offices of a prosecutor.

Section 533
Contents and form of request

(1) A request for legal assistance shall, in addition to a precise description of the required act of assistance, contain a description of the facts of the offence which is the basis of the request, the legal denomination of the offence together with a verbatim wording of the pertinent legal provisions, the personal data of the accused or, as the case may be, of the victim or the witnesses if their examination is requested, as well as further details required for the proper execution of the requested legal assistance.

(2) The request shall contain the exact specification of the requesting authority, its file number, the date of the request and it shall bear the signature of the responsible officer and the round seal of the requesting authority.

(3) The request and the supporting documents shall be accompanied by a translation into a foreign language done by an official translator if in relation to the requested State such translation is required.

Section 534
Postal service

Service of documents on a person abroad by post shall be admissible only if so permitted by an international treaty.

Section 535
Validity of procedural acts

Service effected by a foreign authority upon a request by the Slovak authority as well as evidence taken by such authorities shall be valid if they were carried out in accordance with the law of the requested State or if they comply with the law of the Slovak Republic.

Section 536
Summoning persons from abroad

(1) If the personal appearance of a person who stays abroad is required at a procedural act, he must be served the summons by a request for legal assistance. His appearance must not be compelled by the threat of the use of coercive measures.

(2) The person who appears in the territory of the Slovak Republic on the basis of a summons must not be subjected to criminal prosecution, convicted or restricted in his personal liberty in respect of a criminal offence committed prior to his entering the territory of the Slovak Republic.

(3) Criminal prosecution, conviction or restriction of personal liberty of the summoned person shall, however, be admissible :

a) in respect of the criminal offence for which the person was summoned as accused,
b) if, after giving evidence, the summoned person remains in the territory of the Slovak Republic for a period of more than 15 days, having had an opportunity to leave,
c) if the summoned person leaves the territory of the Slovak Republic and returns voluntarily or is lawfully returned to the Slovak Republic from another State.