3.1Weigeringsgrond als bedoeld in artikel 12 OLW
De raadsvrouw heeft de rechtbank verzocht toepassing te geven aan de weigeringsgrond van artikel 12 OLW, omdat de opgeëiste persoon nadat hij in beide zaken een transactie heeft afgesloten met de officier van justitie, niets meer heeft gehoord. Ook van de procedures tot tenuitvoerlegging van de straffen was opgeëiste persoon niet op de hoogte. De weigeringsgrond is van toepassing op de inhoudelijke vonnissen en de beslissingen tot tenuitvoerlegging van de voorwaardelijke opgelegde straffen.
De officier van justitie heeft de rechtbank verzocht af te zien van toepassing van de weigeringsgrond van artikel 12 OLW nu voldoende duidelijk is dat de opgeëiste persoon op de hoogte was van de inhoudelijke procedures en hij stilzwijgend afstand heeft gedaan van zijn verdedigingsrechten.
De rechtbank stelt vast dat het EAB strekt tot de tenuitvoerlegging van vonnissen terwijl de verdachte niet in persoon is verschenen bij de processen dat tot die beslissingen hebben geleid, en die - kort gezegd - zijn gewezen zonder dat zich één van de in artikel 12, sub a tot en met c, OLW genoemde omstandigheden heeft voorgedaan en evenmin een garanties als bedoeld in artikel 12, sub d, OLW zijn verstrekt.
Gelet daarop kan de overlevering ex artikel 12 OLW worden geweigerd.
De rechtbank ziet echter aanleiding om af te zien van haar bevoegdheid om de overlevering te weigeren. Zij acht daarbij het volgende van belang.
De uitvaardigende justitiële autoriteit heeft in het EAB de volgende informatie verstrekt ten aanzien van het vonnis van
the District Court in Pilavan 10 november 2011 (II K 921/11):
“ [opgeëiste persoon] was aware of and participated in criminal proceedings against him. During ·preparatory proceedings. he was announced the decision on presenting the charge, cautioned of his rights and obligations, and heard as a suspect. During the hearing, [opgeëiste persoon] pleaded guilty as charged, and filed a motion for imposing a penalty on him, as agreed with a public prosecutor, without holding a full trial. Summons to the court hearing scheduled for 10 November 2011 in case No. Il K 921/11 was sent to the address provided by [opgeëiste persoon] and received by a person authorised by him. Despite being properly summoned, [opgeëiste persoon] failed to appear in court for the hearing. Pursuant to Article 132 (2) of the code of criminal proceedings, in case the addressee is temporarily absent from the place of his abode, a letter is served on an adult member of the same household. In case no household member is present, the letter is served on the house administration, concierge, or village administrator, if they undertake to deliver the letter to the addressee. lf such is the case, the letter is deemed to have been properly served. Despite being properly notified, [opgeëiste persoon] failed to appear for the court hearing and voluntarily ·resigned from the participation in it.”
De uitvaardigende justitiële autoriteit heeft in het EAB de volgende informatie verstrekt ten aanzien van het vonnis van
the District Court in Pilavan 7 augustus 2012 (II K 599/12):
“ [opgeëiste persoon] was aware of and participated in criminal proceedings against him. During preparatory proceedings he was announced the decision on presenting the charge, cautioned of his rights and obligations, and heard as a suspect. During the hearing, [opgeëiste persoon] pleaded guilty as charged and filed a motion for imposing a penalty on him as agreed with a public prosecutor, without holding a full trial. Summons to the court hearing scheduled for 7 August 2012 in case No. Il K 599/12 was sent to the address provided by [opgeëiste persoon] , and received by a person authorised by him. Despite being properly summoned, [opgeëiste persoon] failed to appear in court for the hearing. Pursuant to Article 132 (2) of the code of criminal proceedings, in case the addressee is temporarily absent from the place of his abode, a letter is served on an adult member of the same household. In case no household member is present, the letter is served on the house administration, concierge, or village administrator, if they undertake to deliver the letter to the addressee. lf such is the case, the letter is deemed to have been properly served. Despite being properly notified, [opgeëiste persoon] failed to appear for the court hearing and voluntarily resigned from the participation in it.”
De uitvaardigende justitiële autoriteit heeft bij brief van 14 januari 2019 de volgende aanvullende informatie verstrekt:
“In the course of the preparatory proceedings in cases Il K 921/11 and Il K 599/12, [opgeëiste persoon] , interviewed as a suspect, pleaded guilty to the charges and expressed his wish to voluntarily submit to the penalties proposed by the prosecutor. The convict indicated his official address which was also his place of residence and the address for deliveries in Poland. In addition, the convict was informed of the rights and obligations of the suspect, including the right to read the dossier of the proceedings (which he did not exercise), the obligation to appear in response to every summons issued in the course of the criminal proceedings and to notify the prosecutor of each change of his place of residence or stay exceeding 7 days, and also that while staying abroad he must designate an agent for service in Poland (otherwise, letters sent to the last known address in Poland, or if this address has not been given, enclosed with the dossier of the proceedings, shall be deemed as having been duly served), and if, without giving his new address, he changes his place of stay or does not stay at the address given by him, letters sent to this address during the criminal proceedings shall be deemed as having been duly served.
Notifications of the dates of court sessions during which the sentences were issued had been delivered to the convict (letters collected by an authorised person) at the official address given by him. The convict never informed that his official address was no longer valid. Therefore, one should presume that the correspondence was duly delivered and that he was aware of the date and place of the court sessions. However, despite being duly notified the convict did not appear at the sessions during which the sentences were passed. The convict was also not represented at the sessions by a counsel (attorney-at-law) because he had not appointed one. The correspondence in case II K 921/11 containing the judgement and information on the manner and time limit for lodging an appeal was collected by the convict's brother.”
In deze omstandigheden is de rechtbank van oordeel dat de overlevering geen schending van de verdedigingsrechten van de opgeëiste persoon inhoudt, omdat hij, zo hij al niet uit eigen beweging stilzwijgend afstand heeft gedaan van zijn recht om in persoon te verschijnen bij de processen, op zijn minst kennelijk onzorgvuldig is geweest met betrekking tot zijn bereikbaarheid voor officiële correspondentie. Hij wist dat er procedures tegen hem liepen, hij heeft een adres achtergelaten en een adresinstructie ontvangen. De oproepen zijn naar dat adres gegaan en aldaar ontvangen. Artikel 12 van de OLW staat daarom niet aan overlevering in de weg.
Gelet op het arrest van het Hof van Justitie van de Europese Unie van 22 december 2017 in de zaak
Ardic(ECLI:EU:C:2017:1026), valt een beslissing tot tenuitvoerlegging van een voorwaardelijke straf niet onder de reikwijdte van artikel 4 bis Kaderbesluit 2002/584/JBZ. De rechtbank hoeft die beslissingen van
the District Court in Piladaarom niet te toetsen aan artikel 12 OLW.