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.

Article 55
Rights of persons during an investigation
1. In respect of an investigation under this Statute, a person:
(a) Shall not be compelled to incriminate himself or herself or to confess guilt;
(b) Shall not be subjected to any form of coercion, duress or threat, to torture or to any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
(c) Shall, if questioned in a language other than a language the person fully understands and speaks, have, free of any cost, the assistance of a competent interpreter and such translations as are necessary to meet the requirements of fairness; and
(d) Shall not be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention, and shall not be deprived of his or her liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established in this Statute.
2. Where there are grounds to believe that a person has committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court and that person is about to be questioned either by the Prosecutor, or by national authorities pursuant to a request made under Part 9, that person shall also have the following rights of which he or she shall be informed prior to being questioned:
(a) To be informed, prior to being questioned, that there are grounds to believe that he or she has committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;
(b) To remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
(c) To have legal assistance of the person's choosing, or, if the person does not have legal assistance, to have legal assistance assigned to him or her, in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment by the person in any such case if the person does not have sufficient means to pay for it; and
(d) To be questioned in the presence of counsel unless the person has voluntarily waived his or her right to counsel.

Article 63
Trial in the presence of the accused
1. The accused shall be present during the trial.
2. If the accused, being present before the Court, continues to disrupt the trial, the Trial Chamber may remove the accused and shall make provision for him or her to observe the trial and instruct counsel from outside the courtroom, through the use of communications technology, if required. Such measures shall be taken only in exceptional circumstances after other reasonable alternatives have proved inadequate, and only for such duration as is strictly required.

Article 66
Presumption of innocence
1. Everyone shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty before the Court in accordance with the applicable law.
2. The onus is on the Prosecutor to prove the guilt of the accused.
3. In order to convict the accused, the Court must be convinced of the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Article 67
Rights of the accused
1. In the determination of any charge, the accused shall be entitled to a public hearing, having regard to the provisions of this Statute, to a fair hearing conducted impartially, and to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality:
(a) To be informed promptly and in detail of the nature, cause and content of the charge, in a language which the accused fully understands and speaks;
(b) To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of the defence and to communicate freely with counsel of the accused's choosing in confidence;
(c) To be tried without undue delay;
(d) Subject to article 63, paragraph 2, to be present at the trial, to conduct the defence in person or through legal assistance of the accused's choosing, to be informed, if the accused does not have legal assistance, of this right and to have legal assistance assigned by the Court in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment if the accused lacks sufficient means to pay for it;
(e) To examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him or her and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his or her behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him or her. The accused shall also be entitled to raise defences and to present other evidence admissible under this Statute;
(f) To have, free of any cost, the assistance of a competent interpreter and such translations as are necessary to meet the requirements of fairness, if any of the proceedings of or documents presented to the Court are not in a language which the accused fully understands and speaks;
(g) Not to be compelled to testify or to confess guilt and to remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
(h) To make an unsworn oral or written statement in his or her defence; and
(i) Not to have imposed on him or her any reversal of the burden of proof or any onus of rebuttal.
2. In addition to any other disclosure provided for in this Statute, the Prosecutor shall, as soon as practicable, disclose to the defence evidence in the Prosecutor's possession or control which he or she believes shows or tends to show the innocence of the accused, or to mitigate the guilt of the accused, or which may affect the credibility of prosecution evidence. In case of doubt as to the application of this paragraph, the Court shall decide.