Criminal Code Act 1995 (Australia, unsourced)/Chapter 8/268/J
Subdivision J—Crimes against the administration of the justice of the International Criminal Court
[edit]268.102 Perjury
- (1) A person commits the offence of perjury if:
- (a) the person makes a sworn statement in or for the purposes of a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; and
- (b) the statement is false.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.
- (2) A person who is an interpreter commits the offence of perjury if:
- (a) the person, by a sworn statement, gives an interpretation of a statement or other thing in or for the purposes of a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; and
- (b) the interpretation is false or misleading.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.
268.103 Falsifying evidence
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person makes false evidence with the intention of:
- (a) influencing a decision on the institution of a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) influencing the outcome of such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 7 years.
- (2) A person commits an offence if the person:
- (a) uses evidence that is false evidence and that the person believes is false evidence; and
- (b) is reckless as to whether or not the use of the evidence could:
- (i) influence a decision on the institution of a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (ii) influence the outcome of such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 7 years.
- (3) For the purposes of this section, making evidence includes altering evidence, but does not include perjury.
268.104 Destroying or concealing evidence
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person destroys or conceals evidence with the intention of:
- (a) influencing a decision on the institution of a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) influencing the outcome of such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 7 years.
- (2) For the purposes of this section, destroying evidence includes making the evidence illegible, indecipherable or otherwise incapable of being identified.
268.105 Deceiving witnesses
- A person commits an offence if the person deceives another person with the intention that the other person or a third person will:
- (a) give false evidence in a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) withhold true evidence at such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
268.106 Corrupting witnesses or interpreters
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person provides, or offers or promises to provide, a benefit to another person with the intention that the other person or a third person will:
- (a) not attend as a witness at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) give false evidence at such a proceeding; or
- (c) withhold true evidence at such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
- (2) A person commits an offence if the person asks for, or receives or agrees to receive, a benefit for himself, herself or another person with the intention that he, she or another person will:
- (a) not attend as a witness at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) give false evidence at such a proceeding; or
- (c) withhold true evidence at such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
- (3) A person commits an offence if the person provides, or offers or promises to provide, a benefit to another person with the intention that the other person or a third person will:
- (a) not attend as an interpreter at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) give a false or misleading interpretation as an interpreter at such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
268.107 Threatening witnesses or interpreters
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person causes or threatens to cause any detriment to another person with the intention that the other person or a third person will:
- (a) not attend as a witness at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) give false evidence at such a proceeding; or
- (c) withhold true evidence at such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 7 years.
- (2) A person commits an offence if the person causes or threatens to cause any detriment to another person with the intention that the other person or a third person will:
- (a) not attend as an interpreter at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court; or
- (b) give a false or misleading interpretation as an interpreter in such a proceeding.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 7 years.
268.108 Preventing witnesses or interpreters
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person, by his or her conduct, intentionally prevents another person from attending as a witness or interpreter at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
- (2) This section does not apply to conduct that constitutes an offence against section 268.105, 268.106, 268.107, 268.109 or 268.110.
268.109 Preventing production of things in evidence
- A person commits an offence if the person, by his or her conduct, intentionally prevents another person from producing in evidence at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court a thing that is legally required to be produced.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
268.110 Reprisals against witnesses
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person causes or threatens to cause any detriment to another person who was a witness in a proceeding before the International Criminal Court:
- (a) because of anything done by the other person in or for the purposes of the proceeding; and
- (b) in the belief that the other person was a witness who had done that thing.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
- (2) It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence against subsection (1) that:
- (a) the detriment to the witness was not (apart from this section) an offence; and
- (b) the witness committed perjury in the proceeding before the International Criminal Court.
Note: A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (2). See subsection 13.3(3).
- (3) In this section:
witness includes:
- (a) a person who attends at a proceeding before the International Criminal Court as a witness but is not called as a witness; or
- (b) an interpreter.
268.111 Reprisals against officials of the International Criminal Court
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person causes or threatens to cause any detriment to another person who is an official of the International Criminal Court:
- (a) because of anything done by the other person; and
- (b) in the belief that the other person was an official of that Court who had done that thing for the purposes of a proceeding before that Court.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
- (2) A person commits an offence if the person causes or threatens to cause any detriment to another person who is an official of the International Criminal Court:
- (a) because of anything done by a third person who is an official of that Court; and
- (b) in the belief that the third person was an official of that Court who had done that thing for the purposes of a proceeding before that Court.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
268.112 Perverting the course of justice
- (1) A person commits an offence if the person, by his or her conduct, intentionally perverts the course of justice in respect of the International Criminal Court.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
- (2) This section does not apply to conduct that constitutes the publication of any matter.
- (3) In this section:
perverts includes obstructs, prevents or defeats.
268.113 Receipt of a corrupting benefit by an official of the International Criminal Court
- (1) A person who is an official of the International Criminal Court commits an offence if:
- (a) the person:
- (i) asks for a benefit for himself, herself or another person; or
- (ii) receives or obtains a benefit for himself, herself or another person; or
- (iii) agrees to receive or obtain a benefit for himself, herself or another person; and
- (b) the person does so with the intention that the exercise of the person’s duties as an official of the International Criminal Court will be influenced.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.
- (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), it is immaterial whether the benefit is in the nature of a reward.
268.114 Subdivision not to apply to certain conduct
- (1) This Subdivision does not apply to a person in respect of:
- (a) conduct that results in a failure or refusal to issue a certificate under section 22 or 29 of the International Criminal Court Act 2002; or
- (b) a failure or refusal to issue such a certificate; or
- (c) conduct engaged in reliance on the absence of such a certificate.
- (2) In this section:
conduct includes any one or more acts or omissions.