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ELECTORAL LAW ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1962 - SECT 105

Prosecution and trial of electoral misdemeanours.

105.(1) A corrupt practice shall be an indictable offence and shall not be
triable before a county court; but, subject to sub-section (2), a person
charged with a corrupt practice may if he so consents be tried summarily [in
accordance with sections fifty-two and fifty-three of the Magistrates' Courts
Act (Northern Ireland) 1964]. A person charged with personation shall not be
convicted by a court of summary jurisdiction or, save by an election court, be
committed for trial except on the evidence of not less than two credible
witnesses.

(2) A person shall not be summarily prosecuted for any corrupt practice where
there may be occasion to exercise the powers conferred by sub-section (2) or
sub-section (3) of section one hundred and thirteen.

(3) A person charged with an illegal practice shall be tried summarily; and on
a prosecution for an illegal practice it shall be sufficient to allege that
the person charged was guilty of an illegal practice.

(4) Any person charged with a corrupt practice may, if the circumstances
warrant such a finding, be found guilty of an illegal practice (which
misdemeanour shall for that purpose be an indictable offence); and any person
charged with an illegal practice may be found guilty of that misdemeanour
notwithstanding that the act constituting the misdemeanour amounted to a
corrupt practice, and a person charged with illegal payment,
illegal employment or illegal hiring under paragraph 29, paragraph 30 or
paragraph 31 of the Ninth Schedule may be found guilty of that offence
notwithstanding that the act constituting the offence amounted to a corrupt or
illegal practice.

(5) A person charged with an electoral offence other than the offences
specified in paragraphs 24 to 26 of the Ninth Schedule shall be tried
summarily and a person charged with any of the electoral offences specified in
paragraphs 24 to 26 of that Schedule may be tried either on indictment or
summarily.

(6) Subject to sub-section (3) of section one hundred and eight, an
election court may in addition to any other functions conferred by this Act
exercise for the purposes of this Act the powers of a court of summary
jurisdiction.

(7) In this section the expression "indictment" includes criminal information.


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© 1962 Crown Copyright

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