'Facilitating voluntary appearance of persons - national procedures for ICC proceedings' in document 'South Africa: Implementation of the ICC Statute'

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RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION

Chapter 4
Cooperation with and assistence to Court in or outside South Africa

Part 2
Judicial assistance to court (ss 14-32)

14 Areas of cooperation and judicial assistance

The relevant competent authorities in the Republic must, subject to the domestic law of the Republic and the Statute, cooperate with, and render assistance to, the Court in relation to investigations and prosecutions in the following areas:

(e) facilitating the voluntary appearance of persons as witnesses or experts before the Court

Chapter 4
Cooperation with and assistence to Court in or outside South Africa

Part 2
Judicial assistance to court (ss 14-32)

19 Attendance of witnesses in proceedings before Court

(1) A summons issued by a judge of the Court or the Prosecutor of the Court for the attendance of any person in any proceedings before the Court, whether in the Republic or elsewhere, must be transmitted to the Central Authority by the person receiving it in the Republic.

(2) Upon receipt of such summons, the Central Authority must immediately transmit it to the magistrate within whose area of jurisdiction such person resides or is present.

(3) Upon receipt of the summons, the magistrate must, if satisfied that the summons was issued by the Court, endorse it for service upon such person, whereupon it may be served as if it were a summons issued out of the court of such magistrate in proceedings similar to those in connection with which it was issued.

(4) Any person summoned under this section who, without sufficient cause, fails to attend at the time and place specified in the summons, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine, or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months.

(5) Any magistrate's court within whose area of jurisdiction the summons has been served or the person summoned resides, has jurisdiction to try such person for a contravention of subsection (4).

(6) For the purposes of subsection (4), a return of service indicating that the summons was served properly on the person concerned, together with a certificate by a judge of the Court, to the effect that such person failed to appear at the time and place specified in the summons, is prima facie proof that the said person failed to appear as contemplated in that subsection.

RELEVANT ROME STATUTE PROVISIONS

Article 93
Other forms of cooperation
1. States Parties shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Part and under procedures of national law, comply with requests by the Court to provide the following assistance in relation to investigations or prosecutions:
(e) Facilitating the voluntary appearance of persons as witnesses or experts before the Court