Part VI Providing and Obtaining Assistance, B Obtaining Assistance, 21 Judicial Cooperation Including Obtaining Evidence

Subject(s):

Bank supervision — Electronic money — Criminal proceedings — Money laundering — Conduct of business regulation

This chapter argues that there is potential for conflict between common and civil law jurisdictions where the approach to preparation for trial, and through that the taking of evidence, differ to a large degree. In common law jurisdictions, where it is usual for private parties to be proactively involved in the evidence gathering process, it will not seem irregular for evidence to be taken by an agent of a foreign court for the purpose of proceedings on foot in that court. Such an approach may, however, offend the rules of civil law jurisdictions, where the obtaining of evidence, at least in criminal matters, is primarily the role of the judiciary. To address this potential for conflict, a number of pieces of legislation and bilateral and multilateral civil procedure conventions have evolved over time to facilitate official intervention in order to obtain cross-jurisdictional assistance in the gathering of evidence for the purpose of both civil and criminal proceedings. The various ways in which assistance may be sought by or obtained from the English courts are explored in this chapter.