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- Art. 3 FC
- Art. 5a FC
- Art. 6 FC
- Art. 10 FC
- Art. 13 FC
- Art. 16 FC
- Art. 17 FC
- Art. 20 FC
- Art. 22 FC
- Art. 26 FC
- Art. 29a FC
- Art. 30 FC
- Art. 32 FC
- Art. 42 FC
- Art. 43 FC
- Art. 43a FC
- Art. 55 FC
- Art. 56 FC
- Art. 60 FC
- Art. 68 FC
- Art. 75b FC
- Art. 77 FC
- Art. 96 para. 1 FC
- Art. 96 para. 2 lit. a FC
- Art. 110 FC
- Art. 117a FC
- Art. 118 FC
- Art. 123a FC
- Art. 123b FC
- Art. 130 FC
- Art. 136 FC
- Art. 166 FC
- Art. 178 FC
- Art. 191 FC
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- Art. 11 CO
- Art. 12 CO
- Art. 50 CO
- Art. 51 CO
- Art. 84 CO
- Art. 97 CO
- Art. 98 CO
- Art. 99 CO
- Art. 100 CO
- Art. 143 CO
- Art. 144 CO
- Art. 145 CO
- Art. 146 CO
- Art. 147 CO
- Art. 148 CO
- Art. 149 CO
- Art. 150 CO
- Art. 701 CO
- Art. 715 CO
- Art. 715a CO
- Art. 734f CO
- Art. 785 CO
- Art. 786 CO
- Art. 787 CO
- Art. 788 CO
- Art. 808c CO
- Transitional provisions to the revision of the Stock Corporation Act of June 19, 2020
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- Art. 2 PRA
- Art. 3 PRA
- Art. 4 PRA
- Art. 6 PRA
- Art. 10 PRA
- Art. 10a PRA
- Art. 11 PRA
- Art. 12 PRA
- Art. 13 PRA
- Art. 14 PRA
- Art. 15 PRA
- Art. 16 PRA
- Art. 17 PRA
- Art. 19 PRA
- Art. 20 PRA
- Art. 21 PRA
- Art. 22 PRA
- Art. 23 PRA
- Art. 24 PRA
- Art. 25 PRA
- Art. 26 PRA
- Art. 27 PRA
- Art. 29 PRA
- Art. 30 PRA
- Art. 31 PRA
- Art. 32 PRA
- Art. 32a PRA
- Art. 33 PRA
- Art. 34 PRA
- Art. 35 PRA
- Art. 36 PRA
- Art. 37 PRA
- Art. 38 PRA
- Art. 39 PRA
- Art. 40 PRA
- Art. 41 PRA
- Art. 42 PRA
- Art. 43 PRA
- Art. 44 PRA
- Art. 45 PRA
- Art. 46 PRA
- Art. 47 PRA
- Art. 48 PRA
- Art. 49 PRA
- Art. 50 PRA
- Art. 51 PRA
- Art. 52 PRA
- Art. 53 PRA
- Art. 54 PRA
- Art. 55 PRA
- Art. 56 PRA
- Art. 57 PRA
- Art. 58 PRA
- Art. 59a PRA
- Art. 59b PRA
- Art. 59c PRA
- Art. 60 PRA
- Art. 60a PRA
- Art. 62 PRA
- Art. 63 PRA
- Art. 64 PRA
- Art. 67 PRA
- Art. 67a PRA
- Art. 67b PRA
- Art. 73 PRA
- Art. 73a PRA
- Art. 75 PRA
- Art. 75a PRA
- Art. 76 PRA
- Art. 76a PRA
- Art. 90 PRA
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- Vorb. zu Art. 1 FADP
- Art. 1 FADP
- Art. 2 FADP
- Art. 3 FADP
- Art. 4 FADP
- Art. 5 lit. d FADP
- Art. 5 lit. f und g FADP
- Art. 6 para. 3-5 FADP
- Art. 6 Abs. 6 and 7 FADP
- Art. 7 FADP
- Art. 10 FADP
- Art. 11 FADP
- Art. 12 FADP
- Art. 14 FADP
- Art. 15 FADP
- Art. 19 FADP
- Art. 20 FADP
- Art. 22 FADP
- Art. 23 FADP
- Art. 25 FADP
- Art. 26 FADP
- Art. 27 FADP
- Art. 31 para. 2 lit. e FADP
- Art. 33 FADP
- Art. 34 FADP
- Art. 35 FADP
- Art. 38 FADP
- Art. 39 FADP
- Art. 40 FADP
- Art. 41 FADP
- Art. 42 FADP
- Art. 43 FADP
- Art. 44 FADP
- Art. 44a FADP
- Art. 45 FADP
- Art. 46 FADP
- Art. 47 FADP
- Art. 47a FADP
- Art. 48 FADP
- Art. 49 FADP
- Art. 50 FADP
- Art. 51 FADP
- Art. 52 FADP
- Art. 54 FADP
- Art. 55 FADP
- Art. 57 FADP
- Art. 58 FADP
- Art. 60 FADP
- Art. 61 FADP
- Art. 62 FADP
- Art. 63 FADP
- Art. 64 FADP
- Art. 65 FADP
- Art. 66 FADP
- Art. 67 FADP
- Art. 69 FADP
- Art. 72 FADP
- Art. 72a FADP
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- Art. 2 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 3 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 4 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 5 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 6 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 7 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 8 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 9 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 11 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 12 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 16 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 18 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 25 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 27 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 28 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 29 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 32 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 33 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 34 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
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- Art. 2 para. 1 AMLA
- Art. 2a para. 1-2 and 4-5 AMLA
- Art. 3 AMLA
- Art. 7 AMLA
- Art. 7a AMLA
- Art. 8 AMLA
- Art. 8a AMLA
- Art. 11 AMLA
- Art. 14 AMLA
- Art. 15 AMLA
- Art. 20 AMLA
- Art. 23 AMLA
- Art. 24 AMLA
- Art. 24a AMLA
- Art. 25 AMLA
- Art. 26 AMLA
- Art. 26a AMLA
- Art. 27 AMLA
- Art. 28 AMLA
- Art. 29 AMLA
- Art. 29a AMLA
- Art. 29b AMLA
- Art. 30 AMLA
- Art. 31 AMLA
- Art. 31a AMLA
- Art. 32 AMLA
- Art. 38 AMLA
FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
MEDICAL DEVICES ORDINANCE
CODE OF OBLIGATIONS
FEDERAL LAW ON PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
LUGANO CONVENTION
CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE
FEDERAL ACT ON POLITICAL RIGHTS
CIVIL CODE
FEDERAL ACT ON CARTELS AND OTHER RESTRAINTS OF COMPETITION
FEDERAL ACT ON INTERNATIONAL MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS
DEBT ENFORCEMENT AND BANKRUPTCY ACT
FEDERAL ACT ON DATA PROTECTION
SWISS CRIMINAL CODE
CYBERCRIME CONVENTION
COMMERCIAL REGISTER ORDINANCE
FEDERAL ACT ON COMBATING MONEY LAUNDERING AND TERRORIST FINANCING
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
FEDERAL ACT ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER OF CULTURAL PROPERTY
I. General
1 Art. 80c IMAC applies when an entitled person expressly consents to mutual legal assistance being provided to a requesting state. In this respect, the provision in the minor mutual legal assistance law is sometimes understood as a counterpart to simplified extradition under Art. 54 IMAC, which aims to conclude mutual legal assistance proceedings efficiently and by mutual agreement. Almost identical provisions on “simplified execution” can also be found in mutual legal assistance agreements with Italy (Art. XX EUeR CH-I) and the USA (Art. 12a BG-RVUS).
2 Since no special formalities are required and no legal remedies are available, the procedure is much faster than in ordinary mutual assistance proceedings. The provision thus serves to simplify and accelerate proceedings in accordance with the principle of acceleration enshrined in Art. 17a IMAC.
II. History and purpose
3 Art. 80c IMAC was incorporated into the law as part of the revision of the Mutual Assistance Act of October 4, 1996 (in force since February 1, 1997), and the wording has remained unchanged since then. The background to this revision was the political will to accelerate and simplify mutual legal assistance proceedings, as repeated appeals against interim orders had previously caused considerable delays. In particular, the practice of lodging appeals at every stage of the proceedings sometimes meant that it was possible to wait for the statute of limitations to expire on the offenses being prosecuted abroad.
4 Since this revision, it has been possible, under certain conditions, to transmit objects of mutual legal assistance already during the course of the proceedings. If mutual legal assistance proceedings involve different objects of mutual legal assistance, such as several interrogation reports or various files, the proceedings can be split up. For those parts to which the entitled parties have expressly and irrevocably consented, simplified execution is possible in accordance with Art. 80c IMAC. With regard to the remaining, still disputed objects, the proceedings are continued in the ordinary course and concluded with (partial) final decisions in accordance with Art. 80d IMAC (cf. Art. 80c para. 3). The transmission of individual objects of mutual legal assistance therefore no longer necessarily requires the conclusion of the entire mutual legal assistance proceedings.
5 The benefits of simplified execution are obvious: mutual legal assistance proceedings can be significantly accelerated, as time-consuming and costly steps (justification of a final decision, appeal proceedings) are no longer necessary. An analysis by the Federal Office of Justice from 2020 shows that, particularly in the case of economic crimes, the median average duration of proceedings is reduced by around four months as a result of simplified execution.
III. Interpretation of Art. 80c IMAC
A. Paragraph 1: Scope of entitlement and consent
1. Entitled persons
6 Entitled persons within the meaning of the IMAC are those persons who have party status in the mutual assistance proceedings. Neither the IMAC nor the Mutual Assistance Ordinance (IRSV) expressly define who is a party; therefore, the relevant authority is the case law of the Federal Supreme Court, according to which a party is anyone who is personally and directly affected by a mutual assistance measure and has an interest worthy of protection in its revocation or amendment. Consequently, party status is based on the right to appeal pursuant to Art. 80h lit. b IMAC.
7 The decisive factor here is the person's relationship to the evidence or asset concerned. In mutual legal assistance proceedings, for example, the person against whom the coercive measure is directed or on whom it has been carried out is generally entitled to appeal. For example, in the case of the disclosure of bank documents, the account holder (but not, as a rule, the bank itself) is entitled to lodge an appeal. For a more detailed description of the entitled parties and party status, please refer to the commentary by Dangubic Miro and Stelzer-Wieckowska Marta on Art. 80b above.
2. Scope of party rights
8 Authorized parties have comprehensive party rights in mutual assistance proceedings, in particular the right to a fair hearing, access to files, and notification of decisions (see, for example, Art. 80b IMAC).
9 In mutual legal assistance proceedings, they may either raise objections (whereupon the authority issues a final decision subject to appeal pursuant to Art. 80d IMAC) or consent to the surrender (Art. 80c IMAC). The rights of the parties are laid down in Art. 80b IMAC, which was newly introduced in the same 1997 revision. According to this, the executing authority must inform the entitled parties about the request for mutual legal assistance and the files at the latest before the conclusion of the proceedings, so that they can comment appropriately.
10 According to the opinion expressed here, consent to simplified execution does not entail a complete waiver of the right to be heard by the entitled parties, especially since party rights can in principle be exercised until the proceedings are legally concluded. For example, it is possible that the person concerned may consent to the transmission of the interrogation transcript to the foreign authority during an interrogation and at the same time request and obtain access to the case files.
11 What can the consent refer to? According to Art. 80c para. 1 IMAC, the entitled parties may “consent to the disclosure of the same until the conclusion of the proceedings,” whereby “the same” refers to “documents, information, or assets.” This refers to the classic objects of mutual legal assistance that are transmitted within the framework of so-called minor mutual legal assistance. This primarily covers potential evidence that has been obtained by means of evidence-gathering or coercive measures. In addition to edited or seized data carriers and documents, “information” is also regularly understood to mean the transmission of interrogation transcripts.
3. Form and timing of consent
12 Article 80c(1) itself does not prescribe any particular form – it merely states that the entitled parties “may ... consent.” Consent can therefore be given verbally or in writing. However, for reasons of legal certainty and preservation of evidence, the written form is strongly recommended. The mutual legal assistance judge must formally record the premature conclusion of the mutual legal assistance proceedings – although the conclusion does not require justification, it must at least record the consent of the parties involved.
13 Furthermore, particularly in the case of persons not represented by a lawyer, the wording of Art. 80c IMAC and the fact that the corresponding declaration is irrevocable and therefore entails a waiver of legal remedies should be explained.
14 Consent may be given “until the conclusion of the proceedings.” It follows from this that, in principle, consent may be given at any time until the conclusion of the specific mutual assistance proceedings in Switzerland to the competent Swiss executing authority. This conclusion is reached either by a final decision in accordance with Art. 80d IMAC or – in the case of consent – by an informal final decision in accordance with Art. 80c para. 2 IMAC following transmission abroad.
15 A further prerequisite for the effectiveness of the consent is that the objects of mutual legal assistance concerned are specifically identified. A blanket or precautionary consent – for example, at the beginning of the proceedings – is therefore excluded. A lack of detailed information on the scope and content of the seized documents at the time of the declaration of consent does not affect its validity, provided that the documents concerned are sufficiently identifiable. Finally, once all entitled parties have given their consent, the documents can be transmitted immediately.
B. Paragraph 2: Procedure in the event of full consent (conclusion of proceedings)
16 Paragraph 2 regulates the procedure to be followed when all entitled parties have given their consent. In this case, “the competent authority shall record the consent in writing and conclude the proceedings.” The legislature therefore requires a formal act of termination of proceedings, but without examining the substance of the conditions for mutual legal assistance. In practice, the authority issues a signed confirmation stating that all necessary consents have been obtained. In this transfer order, it also specifies the documents to be handed over and declares the proceedings to be closed. The principle of speciality under Art. 67 IMAC applies here as in ordinary mutual assistance proceedings and is brought to the attention of the requesting authority or the Federal Office of Justice by the executing authority.
17 In the absence of a complaint, there is no legal remedy against the transfer (order). This prevents the transfer of evidence, information, or assets to the foreign authority from being subsequently questioned, in the interests of legal certainty.
18 However, the right of appeal is open if the validity of the consent is contested by analogy with Art. 23 ff. CO due to defects of consent and the error was not the fault of the person concerned. In this case, all circumstances of the case must be examined, in particular whether the executing authority caused the error or otherwise violated good faith. In accordance with a relevant Federal Supreme Court decision, this is not the case if the authority simultaneously requests the person concerned to confirm receipt of certain documents and to consent to simplified execution. In this case, the executing authority was entitled to assume that the person concerned's signed confirmation constituted valid consent to simplified execution.
C. Paragraph 3: Partial consent
19 Paragraph 3 takes into account the possibility that consent may not be obtained for the entire scope of the request for legal assistance. This regulates the case of partial consent or division of the proceedings. In practical terms, this means that the authority may divide the legal assistance proceedings. For those parts to which the entitled parties have consented, the procedure is concluded in a simplified manner (immediate disclosure of these documents in accordance with para. 2). With regard to the remaining parts of the request for which no consent has been given, the authority continues with the regular procedure and ultimately issues a reasoned final decision in accordance with Art. 80d IMAC.
20 In practice, this provision is of great importance. It is not uncommon for the entitled parties to initially give their consent only for part of the evidence collected in order to first consult with any legal representatives or other authorities regarding the rest. For the authorities, this means additional work due to parallel proceedings, but it also allows for the rapid transmission of undisputed evidence. This approach theoretically carries the risk of contradictory decisions: this could occur if the entitled party consents to the simplified transmission of only part of the evidence collected, appeals against the final decision concerning the remaining evidence, and the Appeals Chamber considers that the conditions for mutual legal assistance have not been met. Given that appeals in mutual legal assistance matters are statistically rarely successful, with very few of these favorable decisions having any material effect, this risk is considered to be low and must be accepted by the executing authority.
Comments:
The legal opinion of the two authors is independent of that of their employer. Terms referring to persons apply equally to women and men.
Bibliography
Bussmann Adrian, Kommentierung zu Art. 80h IRSG, in: Niggli Marcel Alexander/Heimgartner Stefan (Hrsg.), Basler Kommentar, Internationales Strafrecht, IRSG, GwÜ, Basel 2015.
Dangubic Miro/Stelzer-Wieckowska Marta, Kommentierung zu Art. 80b IRSG, in: Ludwiczak Glassey Maria/Staffler Lukas (Hrsg.), Onlinekommentar zum Bundesgesetz über internationale Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen – Version: 25.2.2025: https://onlinekommentar.ch/de/kommentare/irsg80b, besucht am 17.7.2025.
Dangubic Miro/Werndli Patricia, Rechtshilfeweise Herausgabe von Einvernahmeprotokollen aus inländischen Verfahren – unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von TPF 2020 180, forumpoenale 3 (2023), S. 212–216.
Heimgartner Stefan/Niggli Marcel Alexander, Kommentierung zu Art. 80c IRSG, in: Niggli Marcel Alexander/Heimgartner Stefan (Hrsg.), Basler Kommentar, Internationales Strafrecht, IRSG, GwÜ, Basel 2015.
Ludwiczak Glassey Maria, Entraide judiciaire internationale en matière pénale, Précis de droit suisse, Basel 2018.
Ludwiczak Glassey Maria, Kommentierung zu Art. 80c IRSG, in: Ludwiczak Glassey Maria/Laurent Moreillon (Hrsg.), Petit Commentaire, Loi sur l’entraide pénale internationale, Basel 2024.
Remund Cédric/Thormann Olivier, Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen in: Bazzani Claudio/Ferrari-Visca Reto, Nadelhofer Simone (Hrsg.), Interne Untersuchungen, Eine umfassende Darstellung der rechtlichen und praktischen Aspekte, inklusive Amts- und Rechtshilfe und Kooperation mit Behörden, Zürich 2022.
Stelzer-Wieckowska Marta, Die kleine Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen: grundrechtliche Stellung der betroffenen Person, Zürich 2022.
Materials
Botschaft betreffend die Änderung des Rechtshilfegesetzes und des Bundesgesetzes zum Staatsvertrag mit den USA über gegenseitige Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen sowie den Bundesbeschluss über einen Vorbehalt zum Europäischen Übereinkommen über die Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen vom 29.3.1995, BBl 1995 III 1 ff., abrufbar unter https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/fga/1995/3_1_1_1/de, besucht am 28.7.2025.
Bundesamt für Justiz, Internationale Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen, Wegleitung, 9. Aufl. 2009, abrufbar unter https://www.rhf.admin.ch/rhf/de/home/strafrecht/wegleitungen.html, besucht am 28.7.2025.
Eidgenössische Finanzkontrolle, Evaluation der internationalen Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen, EFK-18293, 22. Juni 2020, abrufbar unter https://www.efk.admin.ch/wp-content/uploads/publikationen/berichte/sicherheit_und_umwelt/justiz_und_polizei/18293/18293be-endgueltige-fassung-v04-d.pdf, besucht am 28.7.2025.