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Part One. Article 18 175“22. States Parties shall consider, as may be necessary, the possibility of concludingbilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements that would serve the purposesof, give practical effect to or enhance the provisions of this article.” 30Fourth session: 28 June-9 July 1999Notes by the Secretariat1. The version of article 14 contained in document A/AC.254/4/Rev.1 remainedunchanged in the intermediate drafts of the convention (A/AC.254/4/Revs.2 and 3).Rolling text (A/AC.254/4/Rev.4)“Article 14“Mutual legal assistance“1. States Parties shall afford one another the widest measure of mutual legalassistance [, within the conditions prescribed by the domestic legislation] 31 in investigations,32 prosecutions and judicial proceedings in relation to the crimes or offencescovered by this Convention, as provided for in article 2, paragraph 1. 33“[1 bis. Without prejudice to the other limitations to the obligation to assist setforth in this article, mutual legal assistance also shall be afforded where the requestingState Party is investigating a serious crime and suspects the involvement of anorganized criminal group.] 34“[1 ter. Each State Party shall, to the fullest extent possible under its relevantlaws, treaties and arrangements, provide prompt and effective cooperation to anotherParty for proceedings brought by a State Party against a legal person under article5 of this Convention.] 35“[1 quater. No State Party shall be entitled to undertake, in the territorial jurisdictionof any other State Party, the performance or discharge of any functions for30One delegation noted that the wording of this paragraph required clarification. Another delegation proposed that theparagraph should be deleted.31As indicated above, several delegations suggested that this phrase should be deleted, on the ground that the concernwas adequately met by paragraph 12. One delegation disagreed, noting that paragraph 12 related to a question of procedure.32Some delegations were of the view that, since the concept of “investigations” in paragraph 1 assumed the suspicionof involvement in crime, paragraph 1 bis was redundant.33Some delegations preferred a more descriptive formulation of the scope of this paragraph.34Based on a proposal submitted by Canada at the fourth session of the Ad Hoc Committee (see A/AC.254/L.42). Onedelegation noted that in view of the operational and financial resources to be expended by the requested State, a properbasis must exist before assistance commenced.35This paragraph, based on a proposal submitted by the United States (see A/AC.254/L.33), was inserted on the groundthat, according to the laws of some States, legal persons as such could not be suspects or defendants in a criminal case andthus would not otherwise be covered by the present article. Delegations generally supported the idea contained in this paragraph,although some were of the view that it was already covered by paragraph 1. A number of delegations favoured thefollowing alternative formulation: “Mutual legal assistance shall be afforded with respect to investigations, prosecutions andjudicial proceedings relating to offences for which a legal person may be held liable in the requesting State Party.”