Transfer of prisoner to give evidence or assist in investigations
10.—(1) This article applies where the Secretary of State receives a request from the Mechanism for the transfer of a prisoner (“P”) into the custody of the Mechanism for the purposes of giving evidence or assisting an investigation or for both.
(2) If P consents to the transfer, the Secretary of State must issue a warrant requiring P to be delivered up, in accordance with arrangements made by the Secretary of State with the Registrar, into the custody of the Mechanism.
(3) The consent of P for the purposes of paragraph (2) may be given either—
(a)by P; or
(b)in circumstances in which it appears to the Secretary of State inappropriate, because of the physical or mental condition or youth of P, for P to act for himself or herself, by a person appearing to the Secretary of State to be an appropriate person to act on P’s behalf.
(4) Consent given for the purposes of paragraph (2) may not be withdrawn after the issue of the transfer warrant.
(5) If P, or the person acting on P’s behalf, refuses consent to the transfer (including in cases where P has given consent but then withdrawn that consent before the issue of a transfer warrant), P must be brought before a competent court as soon as practicable.
(6) If the competent court is satisfied that P is the person named or described in the request of the Mechanism, the court must order P to be delivered up, in accordance with arrangements made by the Secretary of State with the Registrar, into the custody of the Mechanism.
(7) If an order is made under paragraph (6), P must be remanded until it has been executed; and if no such order is made P must be transferred in custody to the place where P is liable to be detained under the sentence to which P is subject.
(8) This article applies to a person in custody awaiting trial or sentence and a person committed to prison for default in paying a fine as it applies to a prisoner and a reference in this article to a sentence is to be construed accordingly.
(9) In the application of this article to Scotland, the following modifications have effect—
(a)paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) are omitted;
(b)the Secretary of State must transmit the request to the Scottish Ministers;
(c)if P consents to the transfer, the Scottish Ministers must issue a warrant requiring P to be delivered up, in accordance with arrangements made by the Secretary of State with the Registrar, into the custody of the Mechanism;
(d)the consent of P for the purposes of subparagraph (c) may be given either—
(i)by P; or
(ii)in circumstances in which it appears to the Scottish Ministers inappropriate, because of the physical or mental condition or youth of P, for P to act for himself or herself, by a person appearing to the Scottish Ministers to be an appropriate person to act on P’s behalf;
(e)consent given for the purposes of subparagraph (c) may not be withdrawn after the issue of the transfer warrant.