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Amendment of section 49 of Act of 1939.
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53.—Section 49 of the Act of 1939 is amended by renumbering it as section 49(1) and adding the following subsections:
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“(2) A trial that is to be heard before a Special Criminal Court may be transferred by the Court, on its own motion or on the application of a triable person or the Director of Public Prosecutions, to another Special Criminal Court, but only if the first Court decides that it would be in the interests of justice to do so.
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(3) In deciding whether it is in the interests of justice to transfer a trial, the Special Criminal Court may consider any factors it thinks relevant, including—
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(a) whether the transfer would be in the interests of the expeditious administration of justice, and
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(b) whether the transfer would prejudice the triable person or persons or the prosecution.
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(4) A trial may be transferred under this section notwithstanding that an order has been made under subsection (1)(e) in relation to the triable person or persons.
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(5) Where 2 or more triable persons are to be tried jointly, the decision of the Special Criminal Court to transfer the trial applies in relation to all of them.
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(6) Subsection (5) does not affect the right of a triable person to apply for a separate trial and, if the application is granted, then to apply for a transfer of that trial.
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(7) The decision of a Special Criminal Court to transfer a trial is final and unappealable.
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(8) In this section ‘triable person’ means a person sent or sent forward for trial to, or charged before or transferred under this Act to, a Special Criminal Court.”.
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