Monaco - Central Authority (Art. 2) and practical information

Central Authority(ies):

Directorate of Judicial Services

Contact details:

Address: Direction des Services Judiciaires
Palais de Justice
5, rue Colonel Bellando de Castro
98000 MONACO
Telephone: +377 98 98 88 11
Fax: +377 98 98 85 89
E-mail: dsj@justice.mc
General website:  
Contact person: M. Pierre-Erige Ciaudo
Administrateur à la Direction des Services Judiciaires
Languages spoken by staff: French, English

 

Practical Information

Blocking statutes: No blocking statute in force.

Chapter I
(Letters of Requests)

Transmission of Letters of Requests:

Letters of Request are first sent to the Central Authority of the requesting State before being sent to the Central Authority of the requested State.

Ainsi, (sauf pour ce qui concerne l'aide mutuelle judiciaire entre la France et Monaco) les commissions rogatoires sont adressées par les juridictions ou magistrats compétents à la Direction des Services Judiciaires aux fins d'acheminement à l'Autorité centrale étrangère compétente.

Authority responsible for informing of the time and place of the execution of Letter of Request
(Art. 7):
Judicial authority competent to execute the request.
Presence of judicial personnel at the execution of the Letter of Request (Art. 8): No declaration of applicability.
Privileges and duties existing under the law of States other than the State of origin and the State of execution
(Art. 11):
No declaration of applicability.
Translation requirements
Arts 4(2) and 33):
Accepts Letters of Requests written in or translated into French.
Costs relating to execution of the Letters of Request
(Arts 14(2)(3) and 26):
Monaco does not seek reimbursement of costs under Art. 14(2).
Time for execution: Between 2 and 6 months approximately.
Pre-trial discovery of documents
Art. 23):
Letter of Request will not be executed (full exclusion).
Information about domestic rules on the taking of evidence:  No information available.

Witness examination under Chapter I

Should Letters of Request include specific questions to be used during witness examination or only a list of matters to be addressed? Il semble qu'il soit nécessaire que des questions exactes soient posées.
Is it a public or private hearing? Private hearing.
Do the judicial authorities "blue-pencil" Letters of Requests (i.e. rephrase, restructure and / or strike out objectionable questions or offensive wording so that a Letter of Request may be executed under the laws of the requested State)? No.
Is the witness provided in advance with a copy of the questions / matters to be addressed as contained in the Letter of Request? No.
Are documents produced by the witness authenticated by the court? No.
Is an oath generally administered to the witness? Yes.
Can the witness be made subject to further examination and recall? Yes, but a second request is necessary.
Are there sanctions for non-appearance of witness? Amende civile de 15 à 1500 euros  (article 331 du code de procédure civile).
Must interpreters who assist with the witness examination be court-certified? Yes.
How is the testimony transcribed? Le témoignage est transcrit par un greffier sous l'autorité d'un juge.

Chapter II
(Taking of evidence by diplomatic officers, consular agents and commissioners)

Article 15 Applicable.
Article 16 Applicable. See conditions and competent authority.
Article 17 Applicable. See conditions and competent authority.
Article 18 No declaration of applicability (i.e., a diplomatic officer, consular agent or commissioner may not apply for appropriate assistance to obtain evidence by compulsion).

Taking of evidence by video-links
(under either chapter)

Chapter I

Are there legal obstacles to the use of video links? Yes.
Ce mode de preuve n'est pas prévu par la législation monégasque.
Technology used: No information available.
Level of interpretation required: No information available.
Simultaneous or in sequence interpretation: No information available.
Interpretation required in which jurisdiction? No information available.
Who pays for the interpretation? No information available.
How would a request for evidence be handled if witness not willing? No information available.

Chapter II

Are there legal obstacles to the use of video links? Yes.
Les juridictions de la Principauté n'ont pas eu, à ce jour, à statuer sur ce point.
Technology used: No information available.
Level of interpretation required: No information available.
Simultaneous or in sequence interpretation: No information available.
Interpretation required in which jurisdiction? No information available.
Who pays for the interpretation? No information available.

Other Information

Bilateral or multilateral agreements Convention bilatérale franco-monégasque du 21 septembre 1949 relative à l'aide mutuelle judiciaire.
Useful links:  
Competent authorities (Art. 16, 17) See here.
Additional authorities (Art. 24)  

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