FREE LAW JOURNAL Volume 1, Number 2 (October 18, 2005)

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FREE LAW JOURNAL - VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2 (18 OCTOBER 2005) practice according to which it was impermissible to conduct several proceedings in the same case. In 1660, the Court of the King’s Bench in England forbade the conduct of two proceedings in the same case. 17 In Ireland the double jeopardy concept is often recognisable in the language of anglicised Norman French (i. e. autrefois acquit and convict) whereas in most of the Code nations is it expressed in the Latin maxim of non bis in idem. 18 The principle of double jeopardy is to be found in the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and provides that no person shall “be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb”. The Fifth Amendment has been held to consist of three separate guarantees, namely: autrefois acquit, autrefois convict and protection against multiple punishment for the same offence. In addition to the United States, the German, Canadian, Indian and South African constitutions also embody this principle. Article 35(3)(m) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides that a person is “not to be tried for an offence in respect of an act or omission for which that person has previously been either acquitted or convicted”. 19 The principle of ne bis in idem is contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966. According to Art. 14 par. 7, “No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with the law and criminal procedure of each country”. This provision concerns only criminal proceedings in a given state. 20 This principle can also be found in the 1984 Protocol No. 7 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and 17 P. A. McDermott: Res Judicata and Double Jeopardy, Butterworths 1999, p 200. 18 P. A. McDermott: op. cit., p 201. 19 P. A. McDermott: op. cit., pp 198, 201. 20 Dziennik Ustaw, 1977 , No. 38, item 167. See J. Tylman: Postępowanie karne. Zbiór przepisów, orzecznictwo i literatura, Bydgoszcz-Łódź 2002, p 30. 130 DR MACIEJ ROGALSKI - EXCEPTIONS TO RES JUDICATA AND THE PROHIBITION OF NE BIS IN IDEM IN CRIMINAL LAW
FREE LAW JOURNAL - VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2 (18 OCTOBER 2005) Fundamental Freedoms, which provides that, ”No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again in criminal proceedings under the jurisdiction of the same State for an offence for which he has already been finally acquitted or convicted in accordance with the law and criminal procedure of the State.” 21 Thus formulated, the prohibition of ne bis in idem does not prevent the reopening of proceedings in accordance with the law and procedure of a state concerned where new facts have been discovered or if there has been a fundamental defect in the previous proceedings that could affect the outcome of the case (Art. 4 par. 2). In the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom, the principle of ne bis in idem is a principle which is not subject to derogation, which means that states cannot temporarily suspend its binding force even in extraordinary circumstances (“In time of war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation”) within the meaning of Art. 15 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom. 22 This prohibition protects citizens against a feeling of uncertainty and the legal order from the instability of court decisions. 23 2. Res judicata is a legal institution preventing situations arising where further proceedings would be instigated against the same person, in the same case, once a final valid judgement had been passed terminating the proceedings. If a given case is examined ex officio to determine whether res judicata applies, even before criminal proceedings commence , this ensures that people are not involved without due cause in a process with all the negative consequences this can entail. 24 On the 21 Dziennik Ustaw 2003, No. 42, item 364. 22 See B. Gronowska: Wyrok Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka w sprawach: Gradinger przeciwko Austrii, 23 October 1995, ref.. 33/1994/480/562 and Oliveira przeciwko Szwajcarii, 30 June 1998, ref. 84/1997/868/1080, Prok. i Pr. 1999, Nos. 11-12, p 150; F. C. Schroeder: op. cit., p 230. 23 R. Kmiecik, E. Skrętowicz: Proces karny. Część ogólna, Kraków-Lublin 1999, pp205-206; R. Kmiecik: Prawomocność postanowień prokuratora w świetle k.p.k. z 1997 (in:) Nowy Kodeks postępowania karnego. Zagadnienia węzłowe, Kraków 1998, p 193. 24 S. Waltoś: op. cit., p 440. 131 DR MACIEJ ROGALSKI - EXCEPTIONS TO RES JUDICATA AND THE PROHIBITION OF NE BIS IN IDEM IN CRIMINAL LAW
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FREE LAW JOURNAL Volume 1, Number 2 (October 18, 2005)

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