CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE III
ON PROCEDURAL PARTICIPANTS
CHAPTER V
ON POLICE
Article 53
Identifying a suspect
1. A police officer may request the identity of any person where there is suspicion that such a person is preparing to commit, or has either committed or taken part in, a criminal offence.
2. Where the person is not able to identify himself or herself, or refuses to do so, such a person shall be taken, with urbanity, to the nearest police station where the person shall be furnished with the available means required to render his or her identification possible.
3. Where required, the person may be obliged to subject himself or herself to tests to adequately establish his or her full identification, which do not offend human dignity, notably fingerprint, picture taking or body check.
4. Before twelve hours have elapsed; the person must be restored to full liberty, regardless of the success of the action taken, provided there is no ground for detention.
5. Acts performed in compliance with the preceding sub-articles are put to writing in the form of a report to be conveyed to the Public Prosecution Service forthwith.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE III
ON PROCEDURAL PARTICIPANTS
CHAPTER V
ON POLICE
Article 56
Urgent searches, checks and seizures
1. The police may conduct searches, checks or seizures without a court order:
(a) In the case of flagrante delicto in connection with a criminal offence that carries imprisonment; or
(b) where there is strong suspicion that items relating to a criminal offence are hidden and a delay in securing permission to retrieve them might lead to the modification, removal or destruction of such items or pose a danger to the safety of persons and goods.
2. A report of occurrence of any of the acts referred to in the preceding sub-article is prepared and either incorporated into the respective criminal case or conveyed to the Public Prosecution Service where the respective criminal proceeding is not initiated immediately, and the competent judicial authority shall assess the validity of the act.
3. Sub-article 56.2 does not apply to searches or checks in which no items relating to a criminal offence have been found.
4. Sub-article 56.1 does not apply to home searches.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE V
ON PROOF
CHAPTER II
ON EVIDENCE
SECTION IV
WITNESS TESTIMONY
Article 129
Inquiry rules
1. A deposition is a personal act and as such shall under no circumstances be given through a proxy.
2. A witnesses shall not be asked any suggestive or impertinent questions, or any other questions that might undermine the spontaneity and sincerity in which answers are to be given.
3. The enquiry shall deal primarily with the elements required to identify the witness, on his or her family relationships or common interests with the defendant, the aggrieved person or other witnesses, as well as on any other circumstances relevant to the assessment of the credibility of the deposition.
4. If required to take an oath, the witness shall take it and then give the deposition under the terms and within the limits established by law.
5. Where deemed advisable, a witness may be shown any briefs, documents related thereto, tools used for committing the criminal offence or any other items seized.
6. Where the witness presents any item or document that can serve as proof, mention of its presentation is made and such an item or document is to be properly kept or attached to the records.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE V
ON PROOF
CHAPTER II
ON EVIDENCE
SECTION V
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
Article 132
Concept of documentary evidence
Documentary evidence is considered to be a statement, sign or notation embodied in writing or any other technical means, under the terms of the criminal law.
Article 133
Time for presentation
1. The document shall be presented in the course of the enquiry or, where this is not feasible, until the adjournment of the hearing.
2. Where legally applicable, the adversarial principle shall be applied in either case, and the court may grant a time limit of no more than eight (8) days for that purpose.
3. Sub-articles 133.1 and 133.2 are correspondingly applicable to opinions by lawyers, legal advisers or paralegals, which may at all times be presented until the closure of the hearing.
4. The provisions of this article do not affect the procedural status of the defendant.
Article 134
Types of written documents
1. A written document may be either authentic or private.
2. An authentic document is a document issued, in accordance with legal procedures, by public authorities within the purview of their competencies or by a notary or other public servant who has been granted full faith and credit, within his or her sphere of activity.
3. Private is any other document that is construed to have been authenticated when confirmed by the parties before a notary under the terms of the notaries laws.
Article 135
Documents issued in a foreign country
1. An authentic or private document issued in a foreign country, in accordance with the relevant law of that country, is as trustworthy as any document of the same nature issued in Timor-Leste.
2. Notarisation may be required where a document has not been notarised under the terms of the procedural law and there are any reasoned doubts as to its authenticity or the authenticity of its certification.
Article 136
Probative value of mechanical reproductions
1. Photographic, film, phonographic or electronic reproductions and, in general, any mechanical reproductions of the facts or things reproduced can be admitted as proof only where such reproductions are not prohibited under the terms of the procedural law.
2. For the purposes of applying sub-article 136.1, any reproductions, particularly mechanical ones, made in compliance with Chapter III of this Title, are not considered to be prohibited.
Article 137
Reproduction of documents
Subject to article 136, where the original of any document cannot be attached to the records or kept therein, but solely its mechanical reproduction, the latter has the same probative value as that of the original if the reproduction has been identified with the original in that or another proceeding.
Article 138
Probative effect
1. An authentic or authenticated document fully attests to a fact said to have been performed by a public authority or official, as well as to the facts attested therein on the basis of a scrutiny by the documenting entity; however, mere personal judgements by the documenting person has only the value of an element subject to a free assessment by the judge.
2. If the document contains amended or truncated words or words written over erasures or interlineations, without proper reference to the fact, the judge shall determine the extent to which the external defects of the document either exclude or reduce its probative effect.
3. Private documents are freely assessed by the court.
Article 139
Forgery
1. The probative effect of an authentic document may only be challenged on the basis of forgery.
2. A document is forged when any fact that has not actually occurred or any act that has not been actually performed is attested therein as having been subjected to a scrutiny by a public authority or official.
3. If the forgery is self-evident in the face of the external signs on the document, the latter may, on a discretionary basis or at request, be declared fake by the court.
4. Where the court only has reasoned suspicion that a particular document has been forged, the fact is reported to the Public Prosecution Service for legal purposes.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE V
ON PROOF
CHAPTER II
ON EVIDENCE
SECTION VII
INSPECTION OF A CRIME SCENE
Article 143
Object
Proof by means of inspection is intended for a direct perception of facts by the court or the authorities responsible for the investigation.
Article 144
Purpose of inspection
When deemed convenient, a court or a person conducting an investigation may, at his or her own discretion or at the request of the parties concerned, and with due regard, to the extent possible, for personal privacy, inspect items or persons in order to clarify any fact of relevance to the decision, and may, if deemed necessary, visit the crime scene or have the facts reconstructed.
Article 145
Intervention by the defendant or the aggrieved person
The defendant and the aggrieved person are notified of the date and time of the search and may, directly or through their counsels, provide the court with any clarifications it may need, or call the court’s attention to any facts deemed relevant to the settlement of the case.
Article 146
Intervention by experts
1. The court is allowed to be accompanied by a person qualified to explain the inspection and interpret the facts it intends to look at.
2. The expert shall be appointed in the decision ordering the inspection and shall attend the trial.
Article 147
Reporting an inspection
A report of the inspection containing all of the elements helpful in making an assessment and decision of the case is prepared, and pictures may be taken and attached thereto.
Article 148
Probative effect
The outcome of the inspection is assessed at the court’s discretion.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE V
ON PROOF
CHAPTER III
ON THE MEANS OF OBTAINING PROOF
SECTION I
ON SEARCH OF PERSONS AND PLACES
Article 168
Concept
1. A body search shall be carried out where there is a need to seize any items related to a crime or that may serve as a means of evidence, which someone is carrying or hiding on himself or herself.
2. A search is carried out, in a reserved place or a place that is not freely accessible to the public, where :
(a) items referred to in sub-article 168.1 are to be seized;
(b) any person is to be arrested.
Article 169
Formalities
1. Except as otherwise stated in the law, the search of persons and items are authorised through an order issued by the judge, who may direct the search if he or she deems it advisable.
2. The search of persons and items are carried by the police bodies responsible for carrying out the inquiry or by a person specifically appointed by the Public Prosecution Service for that purpose.
3. The dignity and sense of decency of the person concerned shall be respected while the search is being carried out.
4. Articles 87 and 88 are correspondingly applicable and the person concerned must sign the report that is required to be prepared during the search.
5. A duplicate of the order authorising the search shall be provided to the person concerned in the act of executing the respective search.
6. In the case of urgency or danger posed by a delay in securing authorisation, police bodies may carry out a search without prior authorisation from the judicial authority, but they shall immediately report the fact to the latter.
Article 170
Search of houses
1. The search of an inhabited house or of one of its outbuildings may only be carried out between 6 am and 8 pm, except as otherwise provided in sub-article 171.2.
Article 171
Relevance of consent
1. An order issued by the judge authorising a search can be dispensed with where the person concerned consents, in writing, to the carrying out of the search.
2. Consent with regard to a home search may also cover the period of time stated in the previous article.
SECTION II
SEIZURES
Article 172
Seizing items
1. Except as otherwise stated in the law, the seizure of an item relating to a criminal offence or that may serve as a means of evidence must be authorised by the judge.
2. In the case of urgency or danger posed by a delay in securing authorisation, police bodies may carry out a seizure without prior authorisation, but they shall immediately report the fact to the competent judge, with the aim of having the seizure validated.
3. Items seized are attached to the records or, where necessary, placed in the care of a trustee who may be the clerk of the section.
4. Where the object of the seizure is any hazardous or perishable item, the judge shall order that the necessary measures be taken to preserve or maintain such item or to destroy, sell or use it for a socially useful purpose, after an examination and evaluation report has been prepared.
5. Articles 87 and 88 are correspondingly applicable, and the person concerned must sign the report that is required to be prepared during the seizure.
Article 173
Disposal of seized items
1. Seized items are restituted to their rightful owners if such items are not to be declared forfeited to the State.
2. Restitution is ordered as soon as seizure for the purpose of proof becomes unnecessary or after a final decision has been handed down by the court.
3. The decision ordering restitution is notified to the owner of the items in question; and the items are declared forfeited to the State by the judge if they are not collected within 60 days of notification.
4.The public prosecutor shall be heard before the decision referred to in sub-article 173.3 is issued.
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE
PART I
ON THE GENERAL PART
TITLE V
ON PROOF
CHAPTER III
ON THE MEANS OF OBTAINING PROOF
SECTION III
Checks
Article 174
Concept and prerequisites
1. Checks of persons, premises and items are used to examine any clues that may have been left behind in the course of committing a crime and that may indicate how and where it was committed, the person(s) who committed it or the person(s) upon whom it was inflicted.
2. As soon as a criminal offence is reported, action is to be taken in order to avoid, where feasible, the changing or effacing of clues before they are examined; and, if need be, the entry or movement of aliens into and across the crime scene, or any acts that might undermine the disclosure of the truth, may be prohibited.
3. Where the clues left behind by the perpetrator of a crime are found to have changed or effaced themselves, the state in which the persons, the premises and the items are found shall be described, seeking, where feasible, to reconstruct them and to describe how, when and why such clues have changed or effaced themselves.
4. Pending the arrival of the competent judicial authority in the crime scene, it is the responsibility of any law-enforcement agent to take the precautionary measures referred to in sub-article 174.2, where the obtaining of proof would otherwise be at immediate risk.
Article 175
Subjection to checks
1. Where a person wishes to refuse or obstruct any required check or refrains from handing over an item that is to be examined, he or she may be compelled to do so by a decision from the competent judicial authority.
2. A check that is likely to offend people’s sense of decency must respect the dignity and, to the extent possible, the sense of decency of the person undergoing it.
3. The check referred to in sub-article 175.2 may be attended only by the person conducting it and the competent judicial authority, and, where there is no danger posed by a delay in doing the check, the person to be checked may be accompanied by a person he or she trusts, and must be informed of the right to do so.
4. The check of a person is contingent upon authorisation from the competent judicial authority, except where the person concerned gives his or her consent.
Article 176
People at the crime scene
1. The competent judicial authority may determine that one or more persons do not leave the place where the check is to be conducted and, if need be, compel, with the assistance of a public force, those trying to leave the place, whose presence is required, to stay there for the duration of the check.
2. Sub-article 174.4 is correspondingly applicable.
BOOK I
GENERAL PART
TITLE IV
LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME
CHAPTER IX
OTHER CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME
Article 103. Forfeiture of benefits
1. All items, rights or benefits directly or indirectly acquired as a result of the commission of a crime shall be declared forfeited to the State, without prejudice to the rights of any victim or third parties acting in good faith.
2. If said items, rights or benefits cannot be appropriated in kind, their forfeiture shall be compensated through payment of their respective value to the State.
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.
1. Une demande portant sur d'autres formes de coopération visées à l'article 93 est faite par écrit. En cas d'urgence, elle peut être faite par tout moyen laissant une trace écrite, à condition d'être confirmée selon les modalités indiquées à l'article 87, paragraphe 1, alinéa a).
2. La demande contient ou est accompagnée d'un dossier contenant les éléments suivants :
a) L'exposé succinct de l'objet de la demande et de la nature de l'assistance demandée, y compris les fondements juridiques et les motifs de la demande ;
b) Des renseignements aussi détaillés que possible sur la personne ou le lieu qui doivent être identifiés ou localisés, de manière que l'assistance demandée puisse être fournie ;
c) L'exposé succinct des faits essentiels qui justifient la demande ;
d) L'exposé des motifs et l'explication détaillée des procédures ou des conditions à respecter ;
e) Tout renseignement que peut exiger la législation de l'État requis pour qu'il soit donné suite à la demande ; et
f) Tout autre renseignement utile pour que l'assistance demandée puisse être fournie.
3. À la demande de la Cour, un État Partie tient avec celle-ci, soit d'une manière générale, soit à propos d'une question particulière, des consultations sur les conditions prévues par sa législation qui pourraient s'appliquer comme prévu au paragraphe 2, alinéa e). Lors de ces consultations, l'État Partie informe la Cour des exigences particulières de sa législation.
4. Les dispositions du présent article s'appliquent aussi, le cas échéant, à une demande d'assistance adressée à la Cour.