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In force2021 Revised Edition

Act

Syariah Courts Criminal Procedure Code

Criminal procedure in the Syariah Courts

Part

Preliminary

Official textFrom Attorney General's Chambers, unchanged

(1)

This Act may be cited as the Syariah Courts Criminal Procedure

Code and is generally referred to in this Act as "this Code".

(2)

Different dates may be appointed under subsection (1) for different provisions of this Code or for different purposes of the same provision.

(1)

In this Code, unless the context otherwise requires -

"'udil" has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah

Courts Evidence Order, 2001 (S 6312001);

"arsy " has the same meaning assigned to it under section 12 1 of the Syariah Penal Code Order, 201 3 (S 691201 3);

"bailable offence" means an offence shown as bailable in

Schedule 1 or which is made bailable by any other written law for the time being in force;

"baligh?' has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah

Courts Evidence Order, 200 1 (S 631200 1);

"Chief Religious Enforcement Officer" means the Chief Religious

Enforcement Officer appointed under section 26 of the Syariah

Courts Act (Chapter 184);

"Chief Syar'ie Judge" has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

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Criminal Procedure Code

"Chief Syar'ie Prosecutor'' has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

e

"Commissioner of Police" means the Commissioner of Police of the Royal Brunei Police Force appointed under the Royal Brunei

Police Force Act (Chapter 50);

"complaint' means the allegation made orally or in writing to a

Religious Enforcement Officer, police officer or Syar'ie Judge with a view to the Religious Enforcement Officer, police officer or

Syar'ie Judge taking action under this Code that a person whether known or unknown has committed or is guilty of an offence;

"hadd' has the same meaning assigned to it under section 52(1) of the Syariah Penal Code Order, 2013 (S 6912013);

"Hukum Syara' '? means the laws of any sect which the Syariah

Court considers valid;

"inquiry" includes every inquiry conducted before a Syar'ie Judge under this Code;

"Judge", for the purposes of sections 122 and 249, means a Syar'ie

Judge or Judge of the Supreme Court, as the case may be;

"Majlis" means Majlis Ugama Islam constituted under section 5 of the Religious Council and Kadis Courts Act (Chapter 77);

"medical officer" means a person registered under the Medical

Practitioners and Dentists Act (Chapter 112)' and includes a

Medical Officer appointed under section 14 of the Prisons Act

(Chapter 5 1);

"Minister" means the Minister of Religious Affairs;

"mukallaf' has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah

Penal Code Order, 20 1 3 (S 69/20 13);

a

"mumaiyiz" has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah

Courts Evidence Order, 200 1 (S 631200 1);

"non-bailable offence" means an offence shown as non-bailable in

Schedule 1 or which is made non-bailable by any other written law for the time being in force;

-

'hon-seizable offence?' means an offence for which a Religious

Enforcement Officer or a police officer may not ordinarily arrest without warrant according to the third column of Schedule 1 or

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Criminal Procedure Code

CAP. 224 27

under the provisions of any other written law for the time being in force;

"offence" means any act or omission made punishable by this

Code or any other written law for the time being in force;

"officer in charge of prison" means the Officer-in-Charge of any prison as defined under the Prisons Act (Chapter 5 1);

"officer in charge of a police district" means the oflicer appointed to perform the duties of that office and when such officer is absent therefrom or unable from illness to perform his duties, the police officer present and acting in the police district who is next in rank below such officer;

"officer in charge of a police station" n1eans the officer appointed to perform the duties of that office and when such officer is absent therefrom or unable from illness to perform his duties, the police officer present and acting in the police station who is next in rank below such officer;

"Permanent Secretary" means the Permanent Secretary to the

Office of the Prime Minister;

"place" includes a house, building, tent and vessel;

"police district" has the same meaning assigned to it under the

Royal Brunei Police Force Act (Chapter 50);

"police officer" means any member of the Royal Brunei Police

Force, and includes a special police officer when mobilised or deemed to be mobilised for active service and any person vested under any written law with the powers of a police officer;

"postal article" means any letter, postcard, book, document, pamphlet or sample parcel or package or other article whatsoever transmitted by post or courier service;

"public servant" has the same meaning assigned to it under the

Syariah Penal Code Order, 20 13 (S 69/20 1 3);

"Registrar" means the Chief Registrar of the Syariah Appeal

Court, the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Syariah Appeal Court, the

Registrars of the Syariah High Court or the Assistant Registrars of the Syariah Subordinate Courts, as the case may be, appointed under section 13 of the Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

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Cyriminal Procedure Code

"relative" has the same meaning assigned to it under the Islamic

Adoption of Children Act (Chapter 206);

"Religious Enforcement Officer" has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

"seizable offence" means an offence for which a Religious

Enforcement Officer or police officer may ordinarily arrest without warrant according to the third coluinn of Schedule 1 or under the provisions of any other written law for the time being in force;

"summons case" means a case relating to an offence not being a warrant case;

"Syariah Court" ineans the Syariah Courts established under section 6(1) of the Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

"Syar'ie Judge" has the same meaning assigned to it under the

Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

"Syar'ie Lawyer9' has the same meaning assigned to it under the

Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184);

''Syar'ie Prosecutor" means a Syar'ie Prosecutor appointed under section 25(4) of the Syariah Courts Act (Chapter 184), and includes the Chief Syar'ie Prosecutor;

"wali-ad-dam" has the same meaning assigned to it under the

Syariah Penal Code Order, 20 13 (S 69/20 13);

"warrant case" means a case relating to an offence punishable with hadd, qi.tas or imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;

"yamin" has the same meaning assigned to it under the Syariah

Courts Evidence Order, 2001 (S 6312001).

(2)

All words and expressions used in this Code and not defined therein but defined in the Interpretation and General Clauses Act (Chapter 4)

shall have the same meanings respectively assigned thereto to the extent that they do not conflict with Hukum Syara '.

(3)

If any conflict or doubt arises when interpreting any word or expression relating to Hukum Syara ', it shall be the discretion of the Syariah

Court trying the case to decide the meaning of such word or expression.

(4)

The Chief Syar'ie Judge may, with the approval of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan, amend the Schedules to this Code.

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Criniinal Procedure Code

CAP. 224 29

@

(5)

References in this Code to the commencement of this Code are references to the commencement of the main substantive provisions of this

Code.

s 3Jurisdiction

Subject to the provisions of this Code, Syariah Court shall have a jurisdiction in respect of offences committed -

(a)

wholly or partly within Brunei Darussalam;

(b)

on board any ship registered in Brunei Darussalam;

(c)

on board any aircraft registered in Brunei Darussalam;

(d)

on the high seas if the offence is piracy by the law of nations J

(e)

by any person outside Brunei Darussalam who abets, or enters a conspiracy to commit, an offence within Brunei Darussalam, whether or not any overt act in furtherance of such conspiracy takes place within Brunei Darussalam; or

(fi by a subject of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan or permanent resident of Brunei Darussalam whether the offence was committed within or outside Brunei Darussalam.

Trial of offences by Syariah Court 6/2019]

(a)

inquired into according to -

(i)

the provisions of this Code; or

(ii)

the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code

(Chapter 7) to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Code; and

(b)

tried according to the provisions of this Code.

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Criminal Procedure Code

s 5Saving of prerogative

Nothing contained herein shall derogate from or affect the prerogative rights and powers of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan as the

Head of the official religion of Brunei Darussalam.

s 6Saving of powers of Syariah Court

Nothing in this Code shall be construed as derogating from the powers or jurisdiction of the Syariah Court.

Part

General Provisions

Part

Other General Provisions

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Part

Information to Religious Enforcement Officers and Police Officers and Their Powers to Investigate

Part

Proceedings in Prosecution

Chapter II

Chapter IIL

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Part

Appeal and Revision

Chapter 11

Part

Special Proceedings

Chapter IX

Part

General

Schedules