Part 4 Mutual Assistance through the Execution of Decisions and Orders of the Court
§ 44 Enforcement of Forfeiture Orders
(relating to Article 77 para. 2(b), Article 109 para. 2 of the Rome Statute)
(1) Orders pursuant to Article 77 para. 2(b) of the Rome Statute (Forfeiture Orders) shall be enforced when:
1. requested by the Court upon presentation of a complete final and enforceable court ruling on guilt and punishment, and
2. the objects at issue are located in Germany.
(2) To effect enforcement, the court shall order forfeiture of the object. § 73 para. 2-4, §§ 73a and 73b of the Criminal Code apply mutatis mutandis.
(3) If the forfeiture of an object is ordered, ownership of the object or the forfeited right, upon the approval of the mutual assistance, transfers through the office responsible pursuant to § 68 para. 1 to the Court, when the party affected by the order was at that time the owner thereof. Prior to the authorization, the order has the effect of a prohibition on sale within the meaning of § 136 of the Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch); the prohibition also encompasses other dispositions than sale. Objects, the forfeiture of which has been ordered, will be surrendered to the Court upon approval of the mutual assistance.
(4) To the extent that a forfeiture order of the Court contains a decision regarding the rights of third parties, these are binding, unless:
1. the third party obviously did not have the opportunity to enforce his rights,
2. the decision cannot be reconciled with a domestic civil law decision reached in
the same matter, or
3. the decision relates to the rights of third parties to real property or real property rights located in Germany; priority notices also constitute third party rights.
If one of the cases in sentence 1 exists, the Court shall have the opportunity to provide comments in the proceedings under § 68 para. 1. The rights of third parties to the objects remain to the extent foreseen by the Statute. Third parties who, under the circumstances of the case could exercise rights over the object, shall have, prior to a ruling, the opportunity to provide comments to the extent they have not already been able to provide comment to the Court. They may use legal assistance at each stage of the proceedings.
(5) To the extent an order for the forfeiture of an object is under consideration based upon a request of the Court, it may be seized to guarantee the forfeiture. To this end, a search may also be undertaken. Jurisdiction is determined in accordance with § 46 para. 3. In addition, §§ 111b – 111h and 111l of the Criminal Procedure Code apply mutatis mutandis. § 111k applies mutatis mutandis with the exception that prior to return to the injured party, the opinion of the Court shall be obtained; return shall not occur insofar as the Court in its opinion is against it.
Enforcement of forfeiture orders
EDIT.