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Part One. Article 18 193offences covered by this Convention as provided for in article 2 and shall reciprocallyextend to one another similar assistance where the requesting State Party hasreasonable grounds to suspect that the offence referred to in article 2, paragraph 1(a) or (b), is transnational in nature, including that victims, witnesses, proceeds, instrumentalitiesor evidence of such offences are located in the requested State Party andthat the offence involves an organized criminal group.”Notes by the Secretariat3. At its tenth session, the Ad Hoc Committee considered, finalized and approvedarticle 14, as amended. The above-mentioned proposals were taken into consideration inthe final text, in which the following amendments were also reflected. Former paragraphs5 (d) and (j) (inserted in square brackets) were deleted. The reference to the law of therequesting State party in former paragraph 5 (k) was also deleted. In former paragraph 7,additional text was added, further to the text proposed by the informal working group (seeA/AC.254/L.222), to cover cases of disclosing information that is exculpatory to an accusedperson. Additional text was also added to former paragraph 9 (encouragement to applyparagraphs 11 to 29 of the draft convention if they facilitate cooperation). Former paragraph11 was redrafted and its final form basically reflects the proposal submitted by China(see footnote 46) and further comments submitted by the Russian Federation and Singapore.Former paragraph 12 on the transfer of detained persons or persons serving a sentence togive evidence abroad was also restructured and a paragraph on safe conduct was added asa new paragraph 12. Paragraph 18 on testimony via video conference was restructured onthe basis of text (paragraph 1) included in the proposal submitted by Italy (see footnote62). In paragraph 19, the phrase “if so requested by the requested State” was deleted (proposalsubmitted by China). Further text was added to cover cases of disclosing informationthat is exculpatory to an accused person (see also the similar addition in formerparagraph 7). For paragraphs 21 (e) and (f), see the interpretative notes below. Paragraph21 (g) was deleted. Paragraph 22 on fiscal offences was restructured on the basis of a proposalsubmitted by Switzerland, as amended in the light of article 13 of the InternationalConvention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. Paragraph 24 was replacedby new text on prompt execution of mutual legal assistance requests within the deadlinessuggested by the requesting State (based on a proposal submitted by Italy, contained indocument A/AC.254/5/Add.23). In paragraph 27, a clause was inserted so that this provisiondoes not affect the application of the safe conduct provision that was added in thefinal text as new paragraph 12. Former paragraph 28 was deleted in view of the concernsexpressed by delegations and on the understanding that the presence of the authorities ofthe requested State party in proceedings conducted in the territory of the requesting Stateparty would be subject to bilateral agreements or arrangements. The last amendments arereflected in the final text of the convention, as included in the report of the Ad HocCommittee (A/55/383, sect. IV, draft resolution, annex I), that was submitted to the GeneralAssembly for adoption pursuant to resolution 54/126 of 17 December 1999.4. Following the adoption of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on its tenth session,Lebanon requested that the report should reflect the reservations expressed by Lebanonregarding article 14, paragraph 8.