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CONVENTION
BETWEEN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ON THE ENFORCEMENT OF FOREIGN CRIMINAL SENTENCES

Preamble

THE MEMBER STATES,

HAVING REGARD to the close ties between their peoples;

CONSIDERING the importance of strengthening judicial co-operation in view of the creation of a European area without internal frontiers in which the free movement of persons shall be guaranteed in accordance with the provisions of the Single European Act;

CONVINCED that the existing forms of international co-operation in criminal matters among them should be supplemented with provisions on the transfer of the enforcement of criminal sentences, in particular sentences involving custodial penalties and pecuniary sanctions;

AWARE of the need to take into account, in the transfer of the enforcement of criminal sentences, the interests of all persons involved;

BEARING IN MIND the Conventions of the Council of Europe on the International Validity of Criminal Judgments, concluded at The Hague on 28 May 1970, and on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, concluded at Strasbourg on 21 March 1983,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Definitions

1. For the purposes of this Convention:

(a) "Judgment" shall mean the final decision of a court imposing a sentence in respect of a criminal offence; it shall also mean the imposition of a pecuniary sanction by an administrative authority for an administrative offence or an offence against regulations, prvided the individual concerned has had the opportunity to bring the matter before a court;

(b) "Sentence" shall mean the imposition of a custodial or pecuniary penalty by a court or the imposition of a pecuniary sanction by an administrative authority mentioned under (a) of the present article;

(c) "Sentencing State" shall mean the State in which the sentence in respect of which transfer of enforcement has been or may be requested, was delivered;

(d) "Administering State" shall mean the State to which enforcement of the sentence has been or may be transferred.

2. When signing this Convention or depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession thereof, each Member State may state in a declaration those offences which it intends to exclude from the scope of this Convention. The other Member States may apply the rule of reciprocity.

Article 2

General principles

1. Member States undertake to accord each other the widest possible co-operation with regard to the transfer of enforcement of sentences in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.

2. The transfer of enforcement may be requested either by the sentencing State or by the administering State.

Article 3

Enforcement of a sentence involving a custodial penalty

The transfer of enforcement of a sentence involving a custodial penalty may be requested where:

(a) the sentenced person is in the territory of the administering State and is a national of this State or is permanently resident in its territory; or

(b) the sentenced person is in the territory of the administering State and his extradition has been refused, would be refused if requested, or is not possible; or

(c) the sentenced person is in the territory of the administering State and is serving or is to serve a custodial penalty there.

Article 4

Enforcement of a sentence involving a pecuniary penalty or sanction

The transfer of enforcement of a sentence involving a pecuniary penalty or sanction may be requested where:

(a) the sentenced person is a natural person who is permanently resident in the territory of the administering State or has realizable property or income in its territory; or

(b) the sentenced person is a legal person having its seat in the territory of the administering State or having realizable property or funds in its territory.

Article 5

Conditions for the transfer of enforcement

The transfer of the enforcement of a sentence needs the agreement of the sentencing State and the administering State. The transfer of the enforcement shall be subject to the following conditions:

(a) the judgment is final and enforceable;

(b) the acts or omissions on account of which the sentence has been imposed constitute one of the offences referred to in Article 1(1)(a) according to the law of the administering State or would constitute such an offence if committed in its territory;

(c) under the laws of the sentencing State or the administering State, the enforcement is not barred by time limitations;

(d) final judgment against the sentenced person in respect of the same acts has not been delivered in the administering State;

(e) when a final judgment against the sentenced person in respect of the same acts has been delivered in a third State, the transfer of enforcement would not run counter to the principle of prohibiting double jeopardy.

Article 6

Means of transmission

1. Requests for enforcement shall be addressed in writing by the Ministry of Justice of the requesting State to the Ministry of Justice of the requested State.

2. The requested State shall in the same manner and as soon as possible inform the requesting State of its decision to agree to or to refuse the request.

3. By virtue of particular agreements or, in their absence, in cases of urgency, requests, relating documents and the replies of the requested State may be transmitted directly between the judicial authorities of the requesting State and those of the requested State.

4. Similarly, in cases of urgency and by virtue of particular agreements, requests for enforcement, relating documents and the replies of the requested State may be transmitted through any appropriate channels leaving a written record, including a telecopy.

5. In the cases provided for in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the present Article, a copy of the documents mentioned therein shall be transmitted without delay to the Ministry of Justice of the requested State, unless that State has declared this to be unnecessary.

6. The means of transmission mentioned in the preceding paragraphs do not exclude the use of diplomatic channels.

Article 7

Documentation

1. If enforcement is requested by the sentencing State, the request shall be accompanied by:

(a) a duly certified copy of the judgment;

(b) the text of the legal provisions applied;

(c) a statement certifying any period of provisional detention already served or any part of the sentence which, where appropriate, has already been enforced and any other matter of relevance for the enforcement of the sentence.

2. The request shall in every case be accompanied by documents enabling the requested State to decide whether or not to agree to transfer of enforcement of the sentence.

3. The administering State may, for the purposes of lodging a request for enforcement, request one or more of the documents referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article.

4. If the requested State considers that the information supplied by the requesting State is not adequate to enable it to apply this Convention, it shall ask for the necessary additional information.

Article 8

Determination of the custodial penalty

1. Where the transfer of enforcement of a custodial penalty is accepted, the competent authorities of the administering State shall:

(a) enforce the penalty imposed in the sentencing State immediately or through a court or administrative order under the conditions set out in paragraph 4 of this Article; or

(b) through a judicial or administrative procedure convert the sentence into a decision of the administering State, thereby substituting the penalty imposed in the sentencing State by a penalty laid down by the law of the administering State for the same offence, under the conditions set out in paragraph 5 of this Article.

2. The administering State shall, if so requested, inform the sentencing State which of these procedures it will follow.

3. Any Member State may when signing this Convention or depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, indicate by declaration that it intends to exclude the application of one of the procedures provided for in paragraph 1(a) and (b) of this Article in its relations with the other Parties.

4. If the administering State adopts the procedure provided for in paragraph 1(a) of this Article it shall be bound by the legal nature and duration of the penalty as determined in the sentencing State. If, however, that penalty is by its nature or duration incompatible with the law of the administering State, or if its law so requires, the administering State may, by a court or administrative order adapt the penalty to a penalty laid down by its own law for a comparable offence. As to its nature the penalty shall, as far as possible, correspond with the penalty imposed by the sentence to be enforced. It may not aggravate by its nature or duration the penalty imposed in the sentencing State, nor exceed the maximum penalty laid down by the law of the administering State for the same offence.

5. If the administering State adopts the procedure provided for in paragraph 1(b) of this Article, that State:

(a) shall be bound by the findings as to the facts insofar as they appear explicitly or implicitly in the judgment handed down in the sentencing State;

(b) may, except for the declaration provided for in paragraph 6 of this Article, convert a custodial penalty into a pecuniary penalty, if the penalty is less than or equal to a period of six months; and

(c) shall not aggravate the penal position of the sentenced person and shall not be bound by any minimum penalty which its own law may provide for the offence or offences committed.

6. Each Member State may, at the time of signature or at the time of deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession specify in a declaration that it only accepts the application of the conversion procedure mentioned in paragraph 5(b) of this Article for custodial penalties of a specified period of less than 6 months.

Other Member States may apply the rule of reciprocity.

Article 9

Determination of the pecuniary penalty or sanction

1. If the transfer of enforcement of a sentence involving a pecuniary penalty or sanction is accepted, the competent authorities of the administering State shall, by means which may include a court or administrative order, convert the penalty or sanction into the currency of the administering State at the rate of exchange obtaining at the time when the decision is taken. However, the amount so determined shall not exceed the maximum amount fixed by that State's law for the same offence. Where a penalty or sanction of a different and more severe nature is permitted for the same offence in the administering State, the competent authorities of this State shall leave the amount of the pecuniary penalty or sanction imposed in the sentencing State unchanged.

2. The administering State which cannot comply with a request for enforcement on account of the fact that it is related to a legal person, may, by virtue of bilateral agreements, indicate its willingness to recover, in accordance with its provisions on civil procedure in enforcement matters, the amount of the pecuniary penalty or sanction imposed by the sentencing State.

Article 10

Provisional measures

As soon as the sentencing State has requested or accepted the transfer of enforcement of a sentence involving a custodial penalty, the administering State may arrest the sentenced person or apply other provisional measures provided that:

(a) the law of the administering State permits a person to be remanded in provisional custody or to be subject to the application of other measures for the offence in respect of which the sentence has been delivered, and

(b) there are reasons to fear that the sentenced person may abscond.

Article 11

Law governing enforcement

1. The enforcement of the sentence after transfer shall be governed by the law of the administering State and that State alone shall be competent to decide on the procedures for enforcement and to determine all the measures relating thereto.

2. Any part of the penalty or sanction enforced in whatever manner in the sentencing State shall be deducted in full from the sentence to be enforced in the administering State.

Article 12

Imprisonment by way of substitution for non-recovery of the pecuniary penalty or sanction

Where a pecuniary penalty or sanction cannot be enforced, either totally or in part, an alternative custodial sanction can be applied by the administering State if the laws of both States so provide in such cases, unless the sentencing State clearly excluded it.

Article 13

Amnesty, pardon, commutation, review of sentence

1. Either Member State concerned may grant an amnesty, pardon or commutation of a penalty or sanction.

2. Only the sentencing State may determine any application for review of the judgment.

Article 14

Discontinuance of enforcement

The administering State shall terminate enforcement of the sentence as soon as it is informed by the sentencing State of any decision or measure as a result of which the sentence ceases to be enforceable.

Article 15

Accrual of monies obtained from enforcement of pecuniary penalties and sanctions

Monies obtained from the enforcement of pecuniary penalties or sanctions shall accrue to the administering State unless otherwise agreed upon between that State and the sentencing State.

Article 16

Information

The administering State shall inform the sentencing State:

(a) when it considers enforcement of the sentence to have been completed;

(b) if the sentenced person has escaped from custody before enforcement of the sentence has been completed; or

(c) of the total or partial non-enforcement of the pecuniary penalty or sanction.

Article 17

Consequences of transfer for the sentencing State

1. The sentencing State may not proceed with enforcement of the sentence once it has agreed with the administering State to transfer enforcement. However, if the sentenced person absconds, the right of enforcement shall revert to the sentencing State, except where otherwise agreed between that State and the administering State.

2. Where the enforcement of a sentence involving a pecuniary penalty or sanction is transferred, the right of enforcement of the sentence, including for the purpose of converting the pecuniary penalty or sanction into a custodial sanction, shall revert to the sentencing State upon its being informed by the administering State of the total or partial non-enforcement of the pecuniary penalty or sanction and its failure to apply a substitutive sanction as referred to in Article 12.

Article 18

Language

Documents to be produced shall be drawn up in the official language or in one of the official languages of the sentencing State. Any Member State may when signing this Convention or depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession make a declaration reserving the right to require that the relevant documents referred to in Article 7 be translated into its official language or into one of its official languages. The other Member States may apply the reciprocity rule.

Article 19

Costs

Member States shall not claim from each other the refund of costs resulting from application of this Convention.

Article 20

Relationship to the European Convention on the International Validity of Criminal Judgments,
The Hague, 28 May 1970

In relations between Member States which are Parties to the European Convention on the International Validity of Criminal Judgments done at The Hague, 28 May 1970, this Convention shall apply to the extent that it supplements the provisions of that Convention or facilitates the application of the principles contained therein.

Article 21

Signature and entry into force

1. This Convention shall be open for signature by the Member States. It shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

2. This Convention shall enter into force ninety days after the date of deposit of instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval by all Member States of the European Communities on the date on which it is opened for signature.

3. Pending the entry into force of this Convention each Member State may, when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval or at any later stage, declare the Convention applicable, in its relations with those Member States which make a similar declaration, ninety days after the date of the deposit of its declaration.

4. Any Member States which has not made a declaration may apply the Convention in respect of other contracting Member States on the basis of bilateral agreements.

5. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands shall notify all Member States of any signature, deposit of instruments or declaration.

Article 22

Accession

This Convention shall be open to accession by any State which becomes a member of the European Communities. The instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This Convention shall enter into force in respect of any Member State which accedes to it ninety days after the date of deposit of its instrument of accession. If the Convention has not already entered into force at the time of the deposit of the instrument of accession, the provisions of Article 21(3) and (4) shall apply to every acceding Member State and the Convention shall enter into force in regard thereto at the time of the entry into force provided for in Article 21(2).

Done at Brussels on 13 November 1991 in all the official languages of the European Communities, all texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.