BULGARIA - PENAL PROCEDURE CODE
Part one. GENERAL RULES
Chapter one. TASKS AND LIMITS OF EFFECT
Art 2. (2) The Penal Procedure Code shall also apply in the cases of performing court orders of another country, placed by virtue of an agreement or under the terms of reciprocity.
BULGARIA - PENAL PROCEDURE CODE
Part two. EVIDENCING
Chapter fourteen. METHODS OF EVIDENCING
Section V. Search and Seizure
Art. 159. On a request of the court or of the bodies of the pre-trial procedures, all establishments, juridical persons, officials and citizens shall be obliged to preserve and deliver the objects, papers, computer information data, the carriers of such data and data about the subscriber, which are in their possession and may be of importance for the case.
Art. 160. (1) Where there is sufficient grounds to presume that in a room or person there are objects, papers or computer information systems, containing computer information data, which may be of importance to the case, a search shall be made for finding and seizing them.
(2) A search may also be made with the purpose of tracing down a person or a dead body.
Art. 161. (1) Search and seizure in the pre-trial procedures shall be carried out with the permission of a judge of the respective court of first instance or of a judge of the court of first instance where the action shall be performed, upon request of the prosecutor.
(2) In urgent cases, where this is the only possibility for the gathering and preservation of the evidence, the bodies of the pre-trial procedures may carry out a search and seizure even without a permission of a judge of the respective court of first instance or of a judge of the nearest court of equal rank. The record of the carried out investigation proceeding shall be presented for approval to the judge without delay but not later than 24 hours.
(3) Search and seizure in the pre-trial procedures shall be carried out on a decision of the court, which is trying the case.
Art. 162. (1) Search and seizure shall be conducted in the presence of witnesses of the act and of the person using the premises or of an adult member of his/her family.
(2) Where the person using the premises or a member of his/her family is unable to attend, the search and seizure shall be conducted in the presence of the chief of the block of flats or a representative of the municipality or the town hall.
(3) The search and seizure in premises, which are used by state or public services, shall be conducted in the presence of a representative of the service.
(4) Search and seizure in premises used by a legal person, shall be carried out in the presence of its representative. Where a representative of the legal person is not able to present, the search and seizure shall be carried out of a representative of the municipality or of the town hall.
(5) Search and seizure in premises of foreign representations of international organisations and in houses of their employees, which enjoy immunity with regard to the criminal jurisdiction of the Republic of Bulgaria shall be conducted with the consent of the chief of the representation office and in the presence of a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
(6) Whereas the search and seizure are related to computer information systems and software products, the actions shall be carried out in the presence of an expert- technical assistant.
Art. 163. (1) Search and seizure shall be performed during the day, except if they brook no delay.
(2) Before commencement of search and seizure, the respective body shall submit the warrant thereof and shall propose to be shown the searched objects, papers and computer information systems, where are kept computer information data.
(3) The body conducting the search shall be entitled to prohibit the persons present to come into contact with other persons or between or among themselves and to leave the premises until the search is over.
(4) During search and seizure shall not be carried out any actions, which are not necessary for the purpose thereof. Premises and depositories shall be opened by force only in case of refusal to be opened avoiding unnecessary damages.
(5) When circumstances regarding the private life of the citizens have been disclosed during the search, the necessary measures shall be taken that they are not made public .
(6) The seized objects, papers and computer information systems which contain computer information data shall be submitted to the witnesses of the procedural actions and the other persons present. Whereas necessary, they shall be packed and sealed at the place of seizure.
(7) The seizure of computer information data shall be carried out by record on a paper carrier and another carrier. Whereas the carrier is a paper one, each of the pages shall be signed by the persons under Art. 132, Para 1. In the rest of the cases the carrier shall be sealed by a note, where shall be stated: the case, the body which has carried out the seizure, the place, the date and the names of all of the persons presented as per Art. 132, Para 1 and who shall sign it.
(8) Printing of the carrier, made out under the order of Para 7, shall be admitted for the necessities of the investigation only and with the permission of the prosecutor and shall be performed in the presence of witnesses of procedural actions and of an expert-technical assistant.
Art. 164. (1) Search of a person in the pre-trial procedure without a warrant by a judge of the respective court of firs instance shall be admitted:
1. upon detention;
2. where there are sufficient grounds to consider that persons attending the search have screened objects or papers of significance for the case.
(2) The search shall be conducted by a person of the same sex in the presence of witnesses of the same sex.
(3)The record of the conducted investigation action shall be produced to the judge for approval without delay but not later than within 24 hours.
Art. 165. (1) Interception and seizure of correspondence shall be allowed only when it is necessary for the detection and prevention of serious crimes.
(2) Interception and seizure of correspondence in the pre-trial procedure shall be performed upon request of the prosecutor and with the permission of a judge of the respective court of first instance or of the first-instance court in the district where the action shall be performed.
(3) Interception and seizure of correspondence in the court proceeding shall be performed on a decision of the court trying the case.
(4) Interception and seizure of correspondence shall be performed under the order of Art. 162. Para 1- 4.
(5) The provisions of Para 1 – 4 shall be also applied to interception and seizure of electronic mail.
BULGARIA - PENAL PROCEDURE CODE
Part two. EVIDENCING
Chapter thirty six. PROCEDURES IN CONNECTION WITH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON PENAL CASES
Section IV. Penal Procedure Transfer
Art. 478. (1) A request for transfer of penal procedure by another state shall be sent to:
1. the Supreme Cassation Prosecution – for pre-trial procedure;
2. the Ministry of Justice – for court procedure.
(2) The request for transfer of penal procedure from another state shall be accepted by the authority under Para 1 when:
1. the act for which the request has been addressed constitutes a crime under the Bulgarian law;
2. the perpetrator bears criminal liability under the Bulgarian law;
3. the perpetrator has permanent residence in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
4. the perpetrator is citizen of the Republic of Bulgaria;
5. the crime for which the request is addressed is not considered to be political or to be related to a political crime, or a war crime;
6. the request does not aim at prosecution or punishment of the person due to his/her race, religion, ethnicity, gender, civil status or political convictions;
7. a penal procedure has started against the perpetrator in the Republic of Bulgaria for the same or for
another crime;
8. the transfer of procedure is in the interest of establishing the truth, and the major evidence is in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
9. the execution of the sentence, if a sentence should be enacted, will improve the possibilities of the convicted person for socialisation;
10. the presence in person of the perpetrator may be ensured in the procedure in the Republic of Bulgaria;
11. the sentence, if a sentence should be enacted, may be executed in the Republic of Bulgaria;
12. the request does not contradict the international obligations of the Republic of Bulgaria;
13. the request does not contradict the basic principles of the Bulgarian penal and penal procedure law.
(3) If the authority under Para 1 grants the request, it shall immediately forward it to the competent authorities of penal procedure in accordance with the provisions of this code.
(4) Any procedure action carried out by an authority in the requesting state in accordance with its national legislation, shall enjoy in the Republic of Bulgaria the same force of evidence it would have enjoyed had it been carried out by a Bulgarian authority.
Art. 479. (1) If the person against whom a penal procedure has been instituted in the Republic of Bulgaria is a citizen of another state or has permanent residence in another state, the authorities under Para 2 may send a request for transfer of the penal procedure to this state.
(2) A request for transfer of a penal procedure to another state at the proposal of the competent Bulgarian authority of penal procedure shall be sent by:
1. the Supreme Cassation Prosecution – for pre-trial procedure;
2. the Ministry of Justice – for court procedure.
(3) A request for transfer of penal procedure to another state may be addressed when:
1. the extradition from the requested state of the person, perpetrator of the crime, is not possible, is not allowed or has not been requested for another reason;
2. for establishing the facts, for determining the punishment or for executing the sentence, it is expedient that the penal procedure be held in the requested state;
3. the person who has perpetrated the crime is or will be extradited to the requested state, or for another reason his/her appearance in the penal procedure in that state is possible;
4. the extradition of a person convicted by a Bulgarian court with an effective sentence of imprisonment is not possible or is not allowed by the requested state, or the execution of the sentence in that state is not possible.
(4) If the requested state allows the transfer of the penal procedure, this procedure cannot continue in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria against the person who has perpetrated the crime, and the imposed sentence under Para 3, Item 4 on the crime in connection with which a transfer of penal procedure has been made, shall not be executed.
(5) The authorities of the pre-trial procedure or the court shall continue the penal procedure or shall send the sentence to be executed, if the requested state:
1. having accepted the request for transfer, fails to institute a penal procedure;
2. subsequently rescinds its decision for transfer of the penal procedure;
3. fails to continue the procedure.
Art. 480. In the event of receiving information from an authority of another state for instituted penal procedure or for procedure which will be instituted in connection with a crime perpetrated in that state, the respective prosecutor under Art. 37 shall decide whether the Bulgarian authorities shall exercise their power under Art. 4, Para 1 for instituting a penal procedure for the same crime.
Additional provisions
§ 1. (1) "Close relatives" in the meaning of this code shall be the direct descendants (including the adopted and stepchildren), the relatives of collateral branches up to fourth degree included, relatives in law up to third degree.
(2) "Data of the traffic" in the meaning of this law shall be all data connected with a message, passing through a computer system, produced by it as an element of a communication chain, with statement of the information of origin, destination, rout, hour, data, size and duration of the connection or of the main service.
Part 2 Evidencing
Chapter 14 Methods of Evidencing
Section 5 Search and Seizure
Article 159
(2) (new – SG 32/10, in force from 28.05.2010) The pre-trial authorities or the Court may request from the European Anti-Fraud Office to provide the reports and the documents attached thereto regarding investigations conducted by the Office.
Part 2 Evidencing
Chapter 17 Investigation
Section 1 Institution of Pre-trial procedure and Conduction of Investigation
Article 218
(1) Where needed, the body of investigation may request form another body of investigation to perform separate actions of investigations.
(2) Where the body of investigation requires so, the bodies of the Ministry of Interior shall be obliged to provide assistance at the performance of concrete actions of investigation.
Part 5 Special Rules
Chapter 30 Special Rules for Dealing with Cases under the Jurisdiction of Specialised Criminal Courts
Article 411
Cases within the jurisdiction of the Specialized Criminal Court
(1) The specialized criminal court shall have jurisdiction in cases of crimes under Art. 321 and Art. 321a of the Penal Code.
(2) The specialized criminal court shall also have jurisdiction in cases of crimes under Art. 116, para 1, item 10, Art. 131, para 1, item 8, Art. 142, para 2, item 6 and 8, Art. 142a, para 2, suggestion two, Art. 143, para 2, Art. 143a, para 3, Art. 144, para 3, suggestion two, Art. 155, para 5, item 1, Art. 156, para 3, item 1, Art. 159, para 5, Art. 159d, suggestion two, Art. 162, para 3, suggestion one and para 4, Art. 195, para 1, item 9, Art. 199, para 1, item 5, Art. 208, para 5, suggestion one, Art. 213a, para 2, т. 5 and para 3, item 3, Art. 214, para 2, item 1 and 2, Art. 216, para 5, suggestion three, Art. 235, para 4, suggestion one, Art. 242, para 1, letter "g", Art. 243, Art. 244, Art. 253, para 3, item 1, suggestion two, Art. 256, para 2, suggestion two, Art. 278a, para 3, suggestion three, Art. 280, para 2, item 5, Art. 282, para 4, Art. 330, para 2, item 4, Art. 337, para 2 and 3, Art. 339, para 2 and 3, Art. 346, para 6, suggestion one and two, Art. 354a, para 2, item 1, Art. 354b, paras 2 through 4, Art. 354c, paras 2 through 4 and Art. 356b of the Penal Code.
(3) The specialized criminal court shall also have jurisdiction in cases of crimes under para 1 and 2 which have been committed abroad.
(4) In those cases where several indictments have been raised against one person, one of which falls within the jurisdiction of the Specialized Criminal Court, the case for all the crimes charged shall be under the jurisdiction of the said court.
(5) Where two or more cases regarding different crimes against different persons are interrelated, they shall be united, if this is required by the proper consideration of each of them. If any of the interrelated cases falls within the jurisdiction of the Specialized Criminal Court, the latter shall be the court competent to hear the united case.
(6) Where a case falls within the jurisdiction both of the Specialized Criminal Court and of a military court, it shall be heard by the military court.
Part 7 Special Procedures
Chapter 36 Procedures in Connection with International Cooperation in Penal Cases
Section 3 International Assistance in Penal Cases
Article 471
Grounds for and content of the international legal assistance
(1) International legal assistance in penal cases of another state shall be rendered on the terms of a concluded international treaty to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party, or on the principle of mutuality. International legal assistance in penal cases shall also be rendered to an international court of justice whose jurisdiction has been recognised by the Republic of Bulgaria.
1. Les États Parties font droit, conformément aux dispositions du présent chapitre et aux procédures prévues par leur législation nationale, aux demandes d'assistance de la Cour liées à une enquête ou à des poursuites et concernant :
a) L'identification d'une personne, le lieu où elle se trouve ou la localisation de biens ;
b) Le rassemblement d'éléments de preuve, y compris les dépositions faites sous serment, et la production d'éléments de preuve, y compris les expertises et les rapports dont la Cour a besoin ;
c) L'interrogatoire des personnes faisant l'objet d'une enquête ou de poursuites ;
d) La signification de documents, y compris les pièces de procédure ;
e) Les mesures propres à faciliter la comparution volontaire devant la Cour de personnes déposant comme témoins ou experts ;
f) Le transfèrement temporaire de personnes en vertu du paragraphe 7 ;
g) L'examen de localités ou de sites, notamment l'exhumation et l'examen de cadavres enterrés dans des fosses communes ;
h) L'exécution de perquisitions et de saisies ;
i) La transmission de dossiers et de documents, y compris les dossiers et les documents officiels ;
j) La protection des victimes et des témoins et la préservation des éléments de preuve ;
k) L'identification, la localisation, le gel ou la saisie du produit des crimes, des biens, des avoirs et des instruments qui sont liés aux crimes, aux fins de leur confiscation éventuelle, sans préjudice des droits des tiers de bonne foi ; et
l) Toute autre forme d'assistance non interdite par la législation de l'État requis propre à faciliter l'enquête et les poursuites relatives aux crimes relevant de la compétence de la Cour.
2. La Cour est habilitée à fournir à un témoin ou à un expert comparaissant devant elle l'assurance qu'il ne sera ni poursuivi, ni détenu, ni soumis par elle à une restriction quelconque de sa liberté personnelle pour un acte ou une omission antérieurs à son départ de l'État requis.
3. Si l'exécution d'une mesure particulière d'assistance décrite dans une demande présentée en vertu du paragraphe 1 est interdite dans l'État requis en vertu d'un principe juridique fondamental d'application générale, ledit État engage sans tarder des consultations avec la Cour pour tenter de régler la question. Au cours de ces consultations, il est envisagé d'apporter l'assistance demandée sous une autre forme ou sous certaines conditions. Si la question n'est pas réglée à l'issue des consultations, la Cour modifie la demande.
4. Conformément à l'article 72, un État Partie ne peut rejeter, totalement ou partiellement, une demande d'assistance de la Cour que si cette demande a pour objet la production de documents ou la divulgation d'éléments de preuve qui touchent à sa sécurité nationale.
5. Avant de rejeter une demande d'assistance visée au paragraphe 1, alinéa l), l'État requis détermine si l'assistance peut être fournie sous certaines conditions, ou pourrait l'être ultérieurement ou sous une autre forme, étant entendu que si la Cour ou le Procureur acceptent ces conditions, ils sont tenus de les observer.
6. L'État requis qui rejette une demande d'assistance fait connaître sans retard ses raisons à la Cour ou au Procureur.
a) La Cour peut demander le transfèrement temporaire d'une personne détenue aux fins d'identification ou pour obtenir un témoignage ou d'autres formes d'assistance. Cette personne peut être transférée si les conditions suivantes sont remplies :
i) La personne donne librement et en connaissance de cause son consentement au transfèrement ; et
ii) L'État requis donne son accord au transfèrement, sous réserve des conditions dont cet État et la Cour peuvent convenir.
b) La personne transférée reste détenue. Une fois l'objectif du transfèrement atteint, la Cour renvoie sans délai cette personne dans l'État requis.
a) La Cour préserve le caractère confidentiel des pièces et renseignements recueillis, sauf dans la mesure nécessaire à l'enquête et aux procédures décrites dans la demande.
b) L'État requis peut au besoin communiquer des documents ou des renseignements au Procureur à titre confidentiel. Le Procureur ne peut alors les utiliser que pour recueillir des éléments de preuve nouveaux.
c) L'État requis peut, soit d'office, soit à la demande du Procureur, autoriser par la suite la divulgation de ces documents ou renseignements. Ceux-ci peuvent alors être utilisés comme moyen de preuve conformément aux dispositions des chapitres V et VI et au Règlement de procédure et de preuve.
i) Si un État Partie reçoit, d'une part, de la Cour et, d'autre part, d'un autre État dans le cadre d'une obligation internationale, des demandes concurrentes ayant un autre objet que la remise ou l'extradition, il s'efforce, en consultation avec la Cour et cet autre État, de faire droit aux deux demandes, au besoin en différant l'une ou l'autre ou en la subordonnant à certaines conditions.
ii) À défaut, la concurrence des demandes est résolue conformément aux principes établis à l'article 90.
b) Toutefois, lorsque la demande de la Cour concerne des renseignements, des biens ou des personnes qui se trouvent sous l'autorité d'un État tiers ou d'une organisation internationale en vertu d'un accord international, l'État requis en informe la Cour et celle-ci adresse sa demande à l'État tiers ou à l'organisation internationale.
10. a) Si elle reçoit une demande en ce sens, la Cour peut coopérer avec l'État Partie qui mène une enquête ou un procès concernant un comportement qui constitue un crime relevant de la compétence de la Cour ou un crime grave au regard du droit interne de cet État, et prêter assistance à cet État.
b)
i) Cette assistance comprend notamment :
a. La transmission de dépositions, documents et autres éléments de preuve recueillis au cours d'une enquête ou d'un procès menés par la Cour ; et
b. L'interrogatoire de toute personne détenue par ordre de la Cour ;
ii) Dans le cas visé au point a. du sous-alinéa b, i) :
a. La transmission des documents et autres éléments de preuve obtenus avec l'assistance d'un État requiert le consentement de cet État ;
b. La transmission des dépositions, documents et autres éléments de preuve fournis par un témoin ou par un expert se fait conformément aux dispositions de l'article 68.
c) La Cour peut, dans les conditions énoncées au présent paragraphe, faire droit à une demande d'assistance émanant d'un État qui n'est pas partie au présent Statut.