Search Legislation

International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001

 Help about what version

What Version

 Help about advanced features

Advanced Features

Status:

Point in time view as at 01/07/2011.

Changes to legislation:

There are currently no known outstanding effects for the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001, Cross Heading: Offences. Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.

OffencesS

1 Genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimesS

(1)It shall be an offence for a person to commit genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime.

(2)Subsection (1) above applies to acts committed—

(a)in Scotland; or

(b)outwith the United Kingdom by a United Kingdom national or a United Kingdom resident.

(3)The Genocide Act 1969 (c.12) is repealed.

(4)In subsection (1) above—

  • genocide” means an act of genocide as defined in article 6;

  • crime against humanity” means a crime against humanity as defined in article 7; and

  • war crime” means a war crime as defined in article 8.2.

(5)The relevant provisions of the articles mentioned in subsection (4) above are set out in schedule 1 to this Act.

(6)For the purposes of this Part of this Act, no account shall be taken of any provision of the articles omitted from the text set out in that schedule.

2 Conduct ancillary to genocide etc.S

(1)It shall be an offence for a person to engage in conduct ancillary to an act that constitutes—

(a)an offence under section 1(1) of this Act; or

(b)an offence under this section.

(2)Subsection (1) above applies where the conduct in question consists of or includes an act committed outwith Scotland by a United Kingdom national or a United Kingdom resident.

(3)It shall be an offence for a person to engage in conduct ancillary to an act committed (or intended to be committed) outwith Scotland by a person other than a United Kingdom national or a United Kingdom resident that, if the act were committed in Scotland (or were committed by a United Kingdom national or a United Kingdom resident), would constitute—

(a)an offence under section 1(1) of this Act; or

(b)an offence under this section.

(4)Subsection (3) above applies where the conduct in question consists of or includes an act committed—

(a)in Scotland; or

(b)outwith the United Kingdom by a United Kingdom national or a United Kingdom resident.

(5)The references in subsections (1) and (3) above to conduct ancillary to an act are to conduct that would constitute an ancillary offence in relation to that act if—

(a)that conduct consisted of or included an act committed in Scotland; and

(b)that act were committed in Scotland.

3 Trial and punishment of main offencesS

(1)This section applies in relation to—

(a)offences under section 1 of this Act;

(b)offences under section 2 of this Act; and

(c)offences ancillary to an offence within paragraph (a) or (b) above.

(2)The offence shall be triable only on indictment.

(3)If an offence is committed outwith Scotland proceedings may be taken in any place in Scotland; and the offence may for incidental purposes be treated as having been committed in that place.

(4)A person convicted of—

(a)an offence involving murder; or

(b)an offence ancillary to an offence involving murder,

shall be dealt with as for an offence of murder or, as the case may be, the corresponding ancillary offence in relation to murder.

(5)Any person convicted of an offence (other than an offence involving murder or an offence ancillary to an offence involving murder) shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 years.

(6)In this section “murder” means the killing of a person in such circumstances as would, if committed in Scotland, constitute murder.

4 Offences in relation to the ICCS

(1)A person intentionally committing any of the acts mentioned in article 70.1 (offences against the administration of justice) may be dealt with as for the corresponding offence under the law of Scotland committed in relation to the High Court of Justiciary or the Court of Session.

(2)The corresponding offences under the law of Scotland are—

(a)in relation to article 70.1(a) (giving false testimony when under an obligation to tell the truth), an offence under section 44(1) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 (c.39) or at common law;

(b)in relation to article 70.1(b) to (e) (other offences), an offence at common law [F1or (as the case may be) under the Bribery Act 2010]; and

(c)in relation to article 70.1(f) (soliciting or accepting a bribe as an official of the ICC), an offence under [F2the Bribery Act 2010 ].

(3)This section and, so far as may be necessary for the purposes of this section, the enactments and rules of law relating to the corresponding offences under the law of Scotland apply to acts committed—

(a)in Scotland; or

(b)outwith the United Kingdom by a United Kingdom national or a United Kingdom resident.

(4)If an offence under this section, or an offence ancillary to such an offence, is committed outwith the United Kingdom proceedings may be taken in any place in Scotland; and the offence may for incidental purposes be treated as having been committed in that place.

(5)The relevant provisions of article 70.1 are set out in schedule 2 to this Act.

Textual Amendments

5 Responsibility of military commanders and other superiorsS

(1)This section applies in relation to—

(a)offences under this Part of this Act; and

(b)offences ancillary to such offences.

(2)A military commander, or a person effectively acting as a military commander, shall be responsible for offences committed by forces under his effective command and control, or (as the case may be) his effective authority and control, as a result of his failure to exercise control properly over such forces where—

(a)he either knew or, owing to the circumstances at the time, should have known that the forces were committing or about to commit such offences; and

(b)he failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures within his power to prevent or repress their commission or to submit the matter to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecution.

(3)With respect to superior and subordinate relationships not described in subsection (2) above, a superior shall be responsible for offences committed by subordinates under his effective authority and control, as a result of his failure to exercise control properly over such subordinates where—

(a)he either knew, or consciously disregarded information which clearly indicated, that the subordinates were committing or about to commit such offences;

(b)the offences concerned activities that were within his effective responsibility and control; and

(c)he failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures within his power to prevent or repress their commission or to submit the matter to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecution.

(4)A person responsible under this section for an offence shall be regarded as being art and part in the commission of the offence.

(5)Nothing in this section shall be read as restricting or excluding—

(a)any liability of a commander or other superior apart from this section; or

(b)the liability of any person other than a commander or other superior.

6 Proceedings against persons becoming resident in the United KingdomS

(1)This section applies in relation to a person who—

(a)commits acts outwith the United Kingdom at a time when that person is neither a United Kingdom national nor a United Kingdom resident; and

(b)subsequently becomes a United Kingdom resident.

(2)Proceedings may be brought against such a person in Scotland for a substantive offence if—

(a)that person is a United Kingdom resident at the time the proceedings are brought; and

(b)the acts in respect of which the proceedings are brought would have constituted that offence if they had been committed in Scotland.

(3)Proceedings may be brought against such a person in Scotland for an offence ancillary to a substantive offence (or what would be such a substantive offence if committed in Scotland) if—

(a)that person is a United Kingdom resident at the time the proceedings are brought; and

(b)the acts in respect of which the proceedings are brought would have constituted that ancillary offence if they had been committed in Scotland.

(4)In this section a “substantive offence” means an offence under this Part of this Act other than an ancillary offence.

(5)Nothing in this section shall be read as restricting the operation of any other provision of this Part of this Act.

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the Scottish Government to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Acts of the Scottish Parliament except those which result from Budget Bills.

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources