Criminal Justice Act 1994

Enforcement powers in respect of ships.

35

35.(1) The powers conferred on an enforcement officer by the First Schedule to this Act shall be exercisable in relation to any ship to which section 33 or 34 of this Act applies for the purpose of detecting and the taking of appropriate action in respect of the offences mentioned in those sections.

(2) The powers conferred by subsection (1) of this section shall not be exercised outside the F70[outer limit] of the F71[territorial sea of the State within the meaning of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2021] in relation to a ship registered in a Convention state except with the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and he shall not give his authority unless that state has in relation to that ship—

(a) requested the assistance of the State for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, or

(b) authorised the State to act for that purpose.

(3) In giving his authority pursuant to a request or authorisation from a Convention state, the Minister for Foreign Affairs shall impose such conditions or limitations on the exercise of the powers as may be necessary to give effect to any conditions or limitations imposed by that state.

(4) The Minister for Foreign Affairs may, either of his own motion or in response to a request from a Convention state, authorise a Convention state to exercise, in relation to an Irish ship, powers corresponding to those conferred on enforcement officers by the First Schedule to this Act but subject to such conditions or limitations, if any, as he may impose.

(5) Subsection (4) of this section shall be without prejudice to any agreement made, or which may be made, on behalf of the State whereby the State undertakes not to object to the exercise by any other state in relation to an Irish ship of powers corresponding to those conferred by the First Schedule to this Act.

(6) The powers conferred by the First Schedule to this Act shall not be exercised in F71[the territorial sea of any state other than the State] without the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and he shall not give his authority unless that state has consented to the exercise of those powers.

F72[(7) Where an enforcement officer is acting under the powers conferred by subsection (1) of this section with the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs given under subsection (2) of this section, any person who does or fails to do any act in relation to the officer, which if done or not done in the State in relation to another person would constitute an offence, shall be guilty of that offence.

(8) Requests under this section may be transmitted by facsimile transmission or other electronic means.]

Annotations

Amendments:

F70

Substituted (1.11.2006) by Criminal Justice (Illicit Traffic by Sea) Act 2003 (18/2003), s. 28(c)(i), S.I. No. 539 of 2006.

F71

Substituted (22.11.2021) by Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2021 (28/2021), s. 20(3) and sch. 2 item 16, S.I. No. 601 of 2021.

F72

Inserted (1.11.2006) by Criminal Justice (Illicit Traffic by Sea) Act 2003 (18/2003), s. 28(c)(ii), S.I. No. 539 of 2006.

Modifications (not altering text):

C5

Immunity from criminal proceedings provided (1.11.2006) by Criminal Justice (Illicit Traffic by Sea) Act 2003 (18/2003), s. 12, S.I. No. 539 of 2006.

Immunity of foreign officials.

12.—A person acting for or on behalf of a Convention state which is a party to the Agreement shall not be liable in any criminal proceedings in the State for anything done in the purported exercise of powers in relation to an Irish vessel

(a) on the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs under section 35(4) of the Act of 1994, or

(b) under an agreement referred to in section 35(5) of that Act.