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Vehicle impoundment fees in criminal seizure are inapplicable

ATA/652/1998Court of Justice / Administrative ChamberOct 13, 1998Dismissed

Open source

Extracted by Omnilex

Omnilex summary

A vehicle had been seized by an investigating judge in a criminal fraud proceeding. When the seizure was lifted, the authorities sought to require payment of storage fees before the holder could recover the vehicle. The court held that the Geneva criminal procedure code contained no such requirement and that Articles 11 LALCR and 24 RESAN apply only to seizures ordered under road traffic law. Those provisions could not be extended to a seizure ordered in ordinary criminal proceedings.

Omnilex headnote

Art. 11 LALCR; Art. 24 RESAN; seizure of a vehicle ordered in criminal proceedings: the road-traffic rules on impoundment and storage costs apply only to seizures ordered under road traffic legislation. Where a vehicle is seized by an investigating judge in the course of a criminal investigation, and the cantonal criminal procedure code contains no rule making payment of custody fees a precondition for release, the holder cannot be required to pay such fees in advance as a condition for recovering the vehicle; the special traffic-law regime is inapplicable (consid. implied by the summary).

Full text

Descripteurs

CIRCULATION ROUTIERE; INFRACTION; CONFISCATION(DROIT PENAL); VEHICULE; SAISIE PROVISOIRE; LCR

Normes

LALCR.11

Résumé

Le Code de procédure pénale genevois, qui prévoit la saisie par le juge d'instruction (art. 181), ne contient aucune disposition au terme de laquelle le détenteur d'un bien saisi doit, au moment où la saisie est levée, s'acquitter de frais de garde à titre préalable pour entrer en possession de son bien. Les art. 11 LALCR et 24 RESAN ne s'appliquent que dans les cas de saisies prononcées en application du droit de la circulation routière; à défaut comme dans le cas d'espèce - ces dispositions réglementaires sont inapplicables. Les articles 11 LALCR et 24 RESAN, relatifs à la saisie et la mise en fourrière de véhicules, ne s'appliquent pas au cas d'une saisie décidée par un juge d'instruction dans le cadre d'une procédure pénale pour escroquerie.

Keywords

road trafficseizurevehiclestorage feescriminal procedureimpoundment

Extracted by Omnilex

Key legal questions extracted by Omnilex

Key legal question

Whether storage fees had to be paid before the return of a vehicle seized by an investigating judge in a criminal case.

Extracted holding

No. The Geneva criminal procedure code contained no rule requiring payment of custody fees as a precondition for recovering seized property.

Extracted reasoning

The seizure was ordered under criminal procedure, not under road traffic law. Articles 11 LALCR and 24 RESAN apply only to seizures imposed under road traffic legislation and therefore could not govern this case.

Key legal question

Whether Articles 11 LALCR and 24 RESAN applied to a seizure ordered in a criminal fraud investigation.

Extracted holding

No. Those provisions are limited to road traffic seizures and impoundment of vehicles.

Extracted reasoning

Because the impugned seizure was ordered by an investigating judge in a criminal fraud proceeding, the special road traffic regulations were inapplicable.

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