Chapter Two – Fundamental Human Rights
Article 32 – Citizenship of Georgia
The transfer of a citizen of Georgia to a foreign state shall be inadmissible except in cases provided for by an international treaty. The decision to transfer a citizen may be appealed to the court.
Chapter V
Surrender of a person to the International Court
Article 22. A request for searching for and arrest of a person; preservation of evidence
1. A request concerning the searching for and arrest of a person required by the International Court must contain:
(a) exact data on the person whom the request refers to and his alleged actual location;
(b) a summary of circumstances of the case as well as, if possible, place and time of commission of a crime;
(c) an indication to a warrant of arrest or a convicting decision made in relation to the person;
(d) an indication that a request for surrender will be further presented.
2. If the Responsible Agency decides in favor of the request, it then applies to the Prosecutor General of Georgia; the latter, in accordance with procedure prescribed by law, issues a warrant of searching for, arrest and searching the person.
3. When arresting a person, items that may be used as evidence before the International Court shall be seized and preserved in a manner prescribed by law.
4. The fact of arresting and seizure of the evidence shall be notified to the Responsible Agency, which on its part immediately informs the International Court thereon and requests the Court to immediately forward a request for surrender to it.
Chapter V
Surrender of a person to the International Court
Article 27. Issuance of a surrender permit
1. A decision on surrender of a prosecuted person as well as for transfer of items and property holding material value, seized and preserved in a proper manner shall be taken by the Responsible Agency.
2. If the prosecuted person or the Responsible Agency is challenging the jurisdiction of the International Court, issuance of the permit will be delayed until the International Court passes its decision on the matter.
3. If a third party, or victim whose residence is in Georgia requests the exercise of his/its ownership right over the property or items holding material value that are seized to be used as evidence, the above property or item items holding material value may be transferred to the International Court providing the latter undertakes to returned them free of charge upon the completion of proceedings.
Chapter VI
Other Forms of Cooperation
Article 31. Basic principle of cooperation
1. Georgia shall cooperate with the International Court pursuant to Article 32 of this Law if it derives from the Court’s request and materials accompanying it that the act is within the jurisdiction of the Court.
2. If the International Court is considering an appeal challenging its jurisdiction pursuant to Articles 17-19 of the Statute, the Responsible Agency may suspend execution of the request until the International Court passes a decision on the matter. In this case preparatory measures may be taken by decision of the Responsible Agency.
Article 32. Forms of cooperation
In accordance with this Chapter, cooperation with the International Court may include any procedural measure under the Statute and Georgian legislation that facilitates investigation and prosecution of crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Court as well as the seizure of the proceeds of crime. Such measures may be include:
(a) The identification and whereabouts of persons;
(b) The taking of evidence, including witness testimony under oath, and the production and service of evidence necessary to the Court, including expert opinions and reports;
(c) The questioning of any person being investigated or prosecuted;
(d) The service of documents, including judgments;
(e) The temporary transfer of arrested persons;
(f) Identification of location of places or objects;
(g) Searches, seizures, and confiscations;
(h) The provision of records and documents, including judicial (courtroom) records and documents;
(i) The protection of victims and witnesses and the preservation of evidence;
(j) The identification or seizure of proceeds, property and assets of material value and instrumentalities of crimes for the purpose forfeiture;
(k) Facilitation of voluntary appearance before the Court by persons, witnesses and experts;
(l) the execution of exhumation, examination of places and objects, including uncovering and examination of graves.
(m) Any other type of assistance which is not prohibited by the legislation of Georgia and which will facilitate the investigation and prosecution of crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Court.
Article 33. Preliminary measures
1. Based on the request of the International Court’s, the Responsible Agency may, for purpose of preserving the legal values and evidence being under threat, take a decision on the use preliminary measures.
2. In case of emergency, the Responsible Agency is entitled to decide on using preliminary measures immediately after receipt of a request, if adequate reasons are at hand. These measures shall be terminated if the International Court fails to submit a relevant request within a time limit set by the Responsible Agency.
Article 34. Use of procedure
as a rule the requests of the International Court is executed in accordance with the procedure established by the Georgian legislation. However, at the request of the International Court, procedures established by the International Court may be used.
Article 35. Transfer of evidence to other state
1. The International Court may apply to the Responsible Agency with a request for a permit for transferring evidence provided by Georgia to an other state.
2. The Responsible Agency will decide in favor of such a request pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, if the conduct is within the jurisdiction of the International Court. Where this is not the case, the matter shall be resolved in accordance with International treaties of Georgia relative to legal assistance and the code of criminal Procedure of Georgia.
Article 36. Interrogation Of The Person
1. A person suspected of the commission of crime under the jurisdiction of the International Court enjoys following rights during the interrogation:
(a) the right to be given notice that he is suspected of commission of a crime within the jurisdiction of the International Court
(b) Right to refuse to give testimony
(c) the right to invite the defense counsel of his own choice, or he does not have one, to demand the appointment of the counsel by the responsible agency
(d) right to be interrogated in the presence of his defense counsel, unless he refuse the assistance of the counsel by his own free will.
2. if a person is interrogated in a language he does not or inadequately understand, he shall be assigned an interpreter. He shall also be entitled to receive necessary material translated in a language he understands.
3. A person shall have the right to refuse to testify against his close friends and relatives as defined by the Code of Criminal procedure of Georgia and by the Rules of Procedure and evidence of the International Court or by refusing to testify a person desires to prevent the disclosure of information related to state security, in accordance with Article 72 of the Statute. If the person decides to use this right, the Responsible Agency shall decide on acceptability of interrogating the person.
4. Rights established in this Article shall be explained to the person concerned before he is interrogated.
Article 37. Service of documents
The International Court may forward its decisions or other procedural documents produced in the course of proceedings to a recipient in Georgia by diplomatic channels or by mail.
Article 38. Summons to the International Court
1. A summons for witnesses and experts/specialists before the International Court shall be accompanied with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence relating to self-incrimination and shall be served to person in a language they understand. the witness, expert or specialist, who appeared before the International Court shall be given guarantee by the International Court that he/she will not be prosecuted, arrested or otherwise deprived of his freedom for the conduct that took place before he appeared before the International Court.
2. A summoned person is not obliged to appear before the International Court if his transportation expenses are not covered by the International Court.
3. If the International Court submits the request envisaged in this article, the International Court shall also submit to Responsible Agency the appropriate documents guaranteeing that the expenses of free movement of the witness will be covered by the International Court.
Article 39. Conducting investigation measures on the territory of Georgia
1. The Responsible Agency, at the request of the International Court, shall have the right to authorize the conduct investigative measures on the territory of Georgia by a representative of the International Court, pursuant to Article 99(4) of the Statute.
2. The Responsible Agency shall notify the state authority having the competence to conduct prosecution measures about the fact of authorization of representatives of the International Court for conducting investigative measures on the territory of Georgia.
Article 40. Temporary surrender of arrested persons
1. A person being in custody in Georgia may be temporarily transferred to the International Court for identification, interrogation, cross-examination or other investigation purposes, in accordance with article 93 of the Statute.
2. The person may by temporarily transferred to the International Court, if the International Court covers the expenses of his transportation and his remaining into custody, provided that it will return the person after the purpose of the transfer is fulfilled.
Article 41. Transfer of evidence
1. An object, an item holding material value, documents, written materials and/or any other objects, confiscated for the purpose of substantiation, which under the Statute and the Code of Criminal Procedure of Georgia, could be used as evidence, shall be transferred to the International Court at the letter's request.
2. If a third party, organization or victim whose location is in Georgia requests the protection of his/its property rights over the confiscated objects or other piece of evidence, the object or item may be transferred to the International Court if the latter undertakes to returned it free of charge following the completion of proceedings.
3. The transfer of such property or item may be postponed if it is necessary for ongoing proceedings in Georgia and if the International Court, after consultation, gives its consent thereto.
Article 42. Confiscation of objects or items holding material value
1. Objects or items holding material value confiscated for securing of evidence may be transferred to the International Court at the latter’s request for the purpose of confiscation, handing in to the Trust Fund established under Article 79 of the Statute or reparation.
2. Objects or items referred to in this Article may be as follows:
a) Instrumentalities of crimes; objects of a criminal conduct.
b) Proceeds of crime, such as money or value obtained, revenue or profits.
g) gift or money that served or was used for commission of a crime and/or was awarded for the commission of a crime;
3. Objects or items holding material value shall be seized and freezed until they are transferred to the International Court or the Responsible Agency notifies the International Court on its refusal to transfer them.
4. Objects or items holding material value shall not be transferred to the International Court if:
a) The victim resides in Georgia and the objects or items holding material value shall be returned to him;
b) Third party has legitimate right over objects or items holding material value;
g) a person who did not participate in the commission of the crime proves that he has acquired the property right over the objects or items holding material value or asset in Georgia or abroad in a bona fide manner and that he resides in Georgia;
d) Objects or items holding material value are necessary for ongoing proceedings or they are subject to expropriation in Georgia.
5. If a person uses his right under paragraph 4 of this Article, the transfer to the International Court of the property or asset shall be postponed until the legal status of the objects or items, holding material value is determined.
Chapter 3 Types of Coordination
Article 15
Cross-border visual surveillance
1. The foreign law enforcement authorities or relevant international organisation bodies, based on a prior request, may carry out visual surveillance in the territory of Georgia of a person presumed to have participated in committing a crime, or of a person who might assist in determining the identity and location of the above person, based on a permit issued by appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia in agreement with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and the State Security Service of Georgia. The appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia may establish certain terms as a precondition for issuing such permits.
2. Upon request of the foreign law enforcement authorities or relevant international organisation bodies, the appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia may independently carry out the visual surveillance provided for by the first paragraph of this article.
3. The appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia may carry out visual surveillance in the territory of foreign countries according to bilateral or multilateral international agreements of Georgia, or the legislation of the respective foreign countries.
4. The methods and details of visual surveillance shall be determined by individual agreements concluded for this purpose with the relevant law enforcement authorities of respective countries, according to the legislation of Georgia and the legislation of the respective foreign countries.
5. The representatives of foreign law enforcement authorities shall immediately terminate the visual surveillance provided for by the first paragraph of this article upon a substantiated request of the appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia.
6. The visual surveillance provided in the first paragraph of this article shall be carried out under the following conditions:
a. persons carrying out visual surveillance shall follow the requirements of the legislation of Georgia and shall fulfil instructions of the appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia;
b. persons carrying out visual surveillance shall hold an appropriate document certifying the power to carry out visual surveillance issued by the law enforcement authorities of Georgia;
c. persons carrying out visual surveillance shall not be permitted to carry out visual surveillance on places of private property or ownership;
d. persons carrying out visual surveillance shall not have the right to stop, question, or detain the persons subject to the surveillance.
e. persons carrying out visual surveillance shall periodically submit reports on implementation of the surveillance and its results to the appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia.
7. The provisions of this article shall be applied unless otherwise provided in international agreements of Georgia.
Chapter 3 Types of Coordination
Article 17
Secret gathering of operative investigative information
1. The appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia may upon request gather operative investigative information secretly during the detection of a crime under procedures determined by the legislation of Georgia and deliver it to the foreign law enforcement authorities.
2. In addition to the data provided for in Article 7(4) of this Law, the request for secret gathering of operative investigative information shall include:
a. desirable measure or method
b. duration of operative investigative measures
c. scope of data to be recorded and transferred
d. type of data transfer.
3. The appropriate law enforcement authorities of Georgia shall make decisions on each specific case related to the secret gathering of operative investigative information.
1. Los Estados Partes, de conformidad con lo dispuesto en la presente Parte y con los procedimientos de su derecho interno, deberán cumplir las solicitudes de asistencia formuladas por la Corte en relación con investigaciones o enjuiciamientos penales a fin de:
(a) Identificar y buscar personas u objetos;
(b) Practicar pruebas, incluidos los testimonios bajo juramento, y producir pruebas, incluidos los dictámenes e informes periciales que requiera la Corte;
(c) Interrogar a una persona objeto de investigación o enjuiciamiento;
(d) Notificar documentos, inclusive los documentos judiciales;
(e) Facilitar la comparecencia voluntaria ante la Corte de testigos o expertos;
(f) Proceder al traslado provisional de personas, de conformidad con lo dispuesto en el párrafo 7;
(g) Realizar inspecciones oculares, inclusive la exhumación y el examen de cadáveres y fosas comunes;
(h) Practicar allanamientos y decomisos;
(i) Transmitir registros y documentos, inclusive registros y documentos oficiales;
(j) Proteger a víctimas y testigos y preservar pruebas;
(k) Identificar, determinar el paradero o inmovilizar el producto y los bienes y haberes obtenidos del crimen y de los instrumentos del crimen, o incautarse de ellos, con miras a su decomiso ulterior y sin perjuicio de los derechos de terceros de buena fe; y
(l) Cualquier otro tipo de asistencia no prohibida por la legislación del Estado requerido y destinada a facilitar la investigación y el enjuiciamiento de crímenes de la competencia de la Corte.
2. La Corte podrá dar seguridades a los testigos o expertos que comparezcan ante ella de que no serán enjuiciados o detenidos ni se restringirá su libertad personal por un acto u omisión anterior a su salida del Estado requerido.
3. Cuando la ejecución de una determinada medida de asistencia detallada en una solicitud presentada de conformidad con el párrafo 1 estuviera prohibida en el Estado requerido por un principio fundamental de derecho ya existente y de aplicación general, el Estado requerido celebrará sin demora consultas con la Corte para tratar de resolver la cuestión. En las consultas se debería considerar si se puede prestar la asistencia de otra manera o con sujeción a condiciones. Si, después de celebrar consultas, no se pudiera resolver la cuestión, la Corte modificará la solicitud según sea necesario.
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.
5. Antes de denegar una solicitud de asistencia de conformidad con el párrafo 1 l), el Estado requerido considerará si se puede prestar la asistencia con sujeción a ciertas condiciones, o si es posible hacerlo en una fecha posterior o de otra manera. La Corte o el Fiscal, si aceptan la asistencia sujeta a condiciones, tendrán que cumplirlas.
6. Si no se da lugar a una solicitud de asistencia, el Estado Parte requerido deberá comunicar sin demora los motivos a la Corte o al Fiscal.
(a) La Corte podrá solicitar el traslado provisional de un detenido a los fines de su identificación o de que preste testimonio o asistencia de otra índole. El traslado podrá realizarse siempre que:
(i) El detenido dé, libremente y con conocimiento de causa, su consentimiento; y
(ii) El Estado requerido lo acepte, con sujeción a las condiciones que hubiere acordado con la Corte.
(b) La persona trasladada permanecerá detenida. Una vez cumplidos los fines del traslado, la Corte la devolverá sin dilación al Estado requerido.
(a) La Corte velará por la protección del carácter confidencial de los documentos y de la información, salvo en la medida en que éstos sean necesarios para la investigación y las diligencias pedidas en la solicitud.
(b) El Estado requerido podrá, cuando sea necesario, transmitir al Fiscal documentos o información con carácter confidencial. El Fiscal únicamente podrá utilizarlos para reunir nuevas pruebas.
(c) El Estado requerido podrá, de oficio o a solicitud del Fiscal, autorizar la divulgación ulterior de estos documentos o información, los cuales podrán utilizarse como medios de prueba de conformidad con lo dispuesto en las partes V y VI y de conformidad con las Reglas de Procedimiento y Prueba.
(i) El Estado Parte que reciba solicitudes concurrentes de la Corte y de otro Estado de conformidad con una obligación internacional y que no se refieran a la entrega o la extradición, procurará, en consulta con la Corte y el otro Estado, atender ambas solicitudes, de ser necesario postergando o condicionando una de ellas.
(ii) Si esto no fuera posible, la cuestión de las solicitudes concurrentes se resolverá de conformidad con los principios enunciados en el artículo 90.
(b) Sin embargo, cuando la solicitud de la Corte se refiera a información, bienes o personas que estén sometidos al control de un tercer Estado o de una organización internacional en virtud de un acuerdo internacional, el Estado requerido lo comunicará a la Corte y la Corte dirigirá su solicitud al tercer Estado o a la organización internacional.
10. (a) A solicitud de un Estado Parte que lleve a cabo una investigación o sustancie un juicio por una conducta que constituya un crimen de la competencia de la Corte o que constituya un crimen grave con arreglo al derecho interno del Estado requirente, la Corte podrá cooperar con él y prestarle asistencia;
(b)
(i) La asistencia prestada de conformidad con el apartado a) podrá comprender, entre otras cosas:
a. La transmisión de declaraciones, documentos u otros elementos de prueba obtenidos en el curso de una investigación o de un proceso sustanciado por la Corte; y
b. El interrogatorio de una persona detenida por orden de la Corte;
(ii) En el caso de la asistencia prevista en el apartado (b) (i) a.:
a. Si los documentos u otros elementos de prueba se hubieren obtenido con la asistencia de un Estado, su transmisión estará subordinada al consentimiento de dicho Estado;
b. Si las declaraciones, los documentos u otros elementos de prueba hubieren sido proporcionados por un testigo o un perito, su transmisión estará subordinada a lo dispuesto en el artículo 68.
(c) La Corte podrá, de conformidad con el presente párrafo y en las condiciones enunciadas en él, acceder a una solicitud de asistencia presentada por un Estado que no sea parte en el presente Estatuto.
1. La solicitud relativa a otras formas de asistencia a que se hace referencia en el artículo 93 deberá hacerse por escrito. En caso de urgencia, se podrá hacer por cualquier otro medio que permita dejar constancia escrita, a condición de que la solicitud sea confirmada en la forma indicada en el párrafo 1 (a) del artículo 87.
2. La solicitud deberá contener los siguientes elementos o estar acompañada de, según proceda:
(a) Una exposición concisa de su propósito y de la asistencia solicitada, incluidos los fundamentos jurídicos y los motivos de la solicitud;
(b) La información más detallada posible acerca del paradero o la identificación de la persona o el lugar objeto de la búsqueda o la identificación, de forma que se pueda prestar la asistencia solicitada;
(c) Una exposición concisa de los hechos esenciales que fundamentan la solicitud;
(d) Las razones y la indicación detallada de cualquier procedimiento que deba seguirse o requisito que deba cumplirse;
(e) Cualquier información que pueda ser necesaria conforme al derecho interno del Estado requerido para cumplir la solicitud; y
(f) Cualquier otra información pertinente para que pueda prestarse la asistencia solicitada.
3. A solicitud de la Corte, todo Estado Parte consultará con la Corte, en general o respecto de un asunto concreto, sobre las disposiciones de su derecho interno que puedan ser aplicables de conformidad con el párrafo 2 (e). En esas consultas, los Estados Partes comunicarán a la Corte las disposiciones específicas de su derecho interno.
4. Las disposiciones del presente artículo serán también aplicables, según proceda, con respecto a las solicitudes de asistencia hechas a la Corte.