Samoa

Crimes Act 2013

PART XIX
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

222. Contempt of Court-

(1) If any person:

(a) assaults, threatens, intimidates, or wilfully insults a Judge, or any Registrar, or any officer of the court, or any assessor, or any witness, during his or her sitting or attendance in court, or in going to or returning from the court; or
(b) wilfully interrupts or obstructs the proceedings of the court or otherwise misbehaves in court; or
(c) wilfully and without lawful excuse disobeys any order or direction of the court in the course of the hearing of any proceedings,

any constable or officer of the court, with or without the assistance of any other person, may, by order of the Judge, take the offender into custody and detain the person until the rising of the court.

(2) In any such case as aforesaid, the Judge, if he or she thinks fit, may sentence the offender to imprisonment for any period not exceeding three (3) months, or sentence him or her to pay a fine not exceeding 10 penalty units for every such offence; and in default of payment of any such fine may direct that the offender be imprisoned for any period not exceeding three (3) months, unless the fine is sooner paid.

(3) Nothing in this section shall limits or affects any power or authority of the court to punish any person for contempt of court in any case to which this section does not apply.

Keywords

Offences against administration of justice
Corruptly influencing a witness, obstructing or interfering with the attendance or testimony of a witness, retaliating against a witness for giving testimony or destroying, tampering with or interfering with the collection of evidence
National prosecution for offences against the administration of justice
National penalties - offences against the administration of justice



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