council ~* * conseil of europe * * de l`europ e

COUNCIL ~* * CONSEIL
OF EUROPE
* * DE L'EUROP E
Or . Englis h
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Application No . 13467/8 7
Jakob Jager
against
Switzerland
Report of the Commissio n
(Adopted on 11 December 1989)
Strasbourg
13467/87
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2
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INTRODUCTION
1 . This Report relates to Application No . 13467/87 introduced by
Jakob Jdger against Switzerland on 27 November 1987 under Article 25
of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms . The application was registered on 16 December 1987 .
The applicant was represented before the Commission by
Dr . F . Oesch, a lawyer practising in St . Gallen .
The Government of Switzerland were represented by their Agent,
.
Jacot-Guillarmod,
Assistant-Director of the Federal Office of
Mr . 0
Justice .
2 . On 10 July 1989 the European Commission of Human Rights
declared the application admissible (*) . The Commission then
proceeded to carry out its task under Article 28 of the Convention
which provides as follows :
"In the event of the Commission accepting a petition
referred to it :
(a) it shall, with a view to ascertaining the facts,
undertake together with the representatives of the parties
an examination of the petition and, if need be, an
investigation, for the effective conduct of which the
States concerned shall furnish all necessary facilities,
after an exchange of views with the Commission ;
(b) it shall place itself at the disposal of the parties
concerned with a view to securing a friendly settlemen t
of the matter on the basis of respect for Human Rights as
defined in this Convention . "
3 . The Commission found that the parties had reached a friendly
settlement of the case and on 11 December 1989 it adopted this Report,
which, in accordance with Article 30 of the Convention, is confined to
a brief statement of the facts and of the solution reached .
(*) This decision is public and can be obtained from the
Commission's Secretary .
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13467/8 7
The following members of the Commission were present when the
Report was adopted :
MM . C . A . NBRGAARD, President
S . TRECHSE L
F . ERMACORA
G . SPERDUTI
E . BUSUTTIL
G . JÜRUNDSSON
A . S . GOZÜBÜYÜK
A . WEITZE L
J . C . SOYE R
H . G . SCHERMERS
H . DANELIU S
G . BATLINER
J . CAMPINOS
Mrs . G . H . THUNE
Sir Basil HALL
MM . F . MARTINE Z
C .L . ROZAKIS
Mrs . J . LIDDY
Mr . L . LOUCAIDES
13467/87
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4
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PART I
STATEMENT OF THE FACT S
4 . The applicant, born in 1942, is a Swiss citizen and resident
at Herisau in Switzerland .
5 . On 14 November 1985 the District Police Office (Verh6ramt) of
Canton Appenzell A .Rh . at Trogen imposed a fine of 400 .-SFr on the
applicant on the ground that he had contravened Article 3 para . 3 of
the Federal Act on the presence and residence of aliens ( Bundesgesetz
über den Aufenthalt und die Niederlassung der Ausldnder, the Aliens'
Act) . The applicant filed an objection (Widerspruch) against this
fine and was acquitted on 12 March 1986 by the Cantonal Court
(Kantonsgericht) of Appenzell A .Rh .
6 . The Public Prosecutor's Office appealed against the acquittal
to the Appenzell A .M . Court of Appeal (Obergericht) . The trial took
place on 1 July 1986 . The Court of Appeal then called for some
supplementary reports .
7 . On 18 November 1986 the Court of Appeal gave its decision .
In the operative part of this decision, it found that the applicant
had negligently contravened (fahrliissige Zuwiderhandlung) Article 3
para . 3 of the Aliens' Act, and it imposed a fine of 400 .-SFr on him .
The applicant was also ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings .
The operative part of the decision was served in writing on the
applicant on 19 November 1986 .
8 . On 30 April 1987 the Court of Appeal served the written
reasons of its decision of 18 November 1986 . It referred therein to
reports obtained after 1 July 1986 and found that an opportunity for
commenting on these supplementary reports need not be granted to the
applicant since they concerned issues of which he was well aware .
9 . On 26 May 1987 the applicant filed a public law appeal
(staatsrechtliche Beschwerde) with the Federal Court (Bundesgericht)
against this decision . On 22 September 1987 the Federal Court
rejected the applicant's appeal as being inadmissible . It found that
it should have been filed within 30 days after the operative part of
the decision had been served .
10 . Before the Commission the applicant complained under Article
6 para . 1 of the Convention that the Appenzell A .Rh . Court of Appeal
based its conviction on reports submitted after the trial, which he
did not know and on which he was not invited to comment .
11 . On 26 September 1989 the Public Prosecutor's Office of
Appenzell A .Rh . applied to the Appenzell A .Rh . Court of Appeal for the
reopening of the judgment of the Court of Appeal of 18 November 1986
under Article 223 of the Appenzell A .Rh . Code of Criminal Procedure
(Strafprozessordnung) which states :
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13467/8 7
<Translation >
"D . Reopening
Article 223 Conditio n
Criminal proceedings which have been terminated with
legal force by means of a judgment, a penal order, a
judicial decision to terminate, or a subsequent judicial
order, can at any time be reopened, i f
4 . the decision of an international authority so
requires . "
<Original>
"D . Die Revisio n
Art . 223 Voraussetzun g
Ein durch Urteil, Strafverfügung, gerichtlichen
Einstellungsbeschluss oder nachtriigliche richterliche
Anordnung rechtskrditig erledigtes Strafverfahren kann
jederzeit wieder aufgenommen werden, wen n
4 . der Entscheid einer internationalen BehSrde es
erfordert ."
On 2 October 1989 the Appenzell A .M . Court of Appeal decided,
with reference to Article 223 para . 1 (4) of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, to admit the applicant's request and to reopen the
proceedings which had been terminated by the judgment of 18 November
1986 .
13467/87
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6
PART I I
SOLUTION REACHED
12 . Following its decision on the admissibility of the application,
the Commission placed itself at the disposal of the parties with a
view to securing a friendly settlement in accordance with Article 28 (b)
of the Convention and invited the parties to submit any proposal s
they wished to make .
13 . In accordance with the usual practice the Secretary, acting on
the Commission's instructions, contacted the parties in order to
explore the possibilities of reaching a friendly settlement . Following
an exchange of letters through the intermediary of the Secretary, the
Agent of the Government and the applicant's representative communicated
to the Commission the statements set out below .
14 . In his letter of 9 November 1989, the Agent of the Government
conveyed the following information :
<Translation >
"With reference to Article 28 (b) of the Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, I
declare as follows, on behalf of the Federal Council of the
Swiss Confederation, the respondent party in the
proceedings concerning Application No . 13467/87, lodged by
Mr . Jakob Jager, with a view to a friendly settlement,
reached with assistance of the European Commission of Human
Rights :
1 . On 26 September 1989 the Public Prosecutor's Office
applied to the Appenzell A .Rh . Court of Appeal for the
reopening of the judgment of the Court of Appeal of 18
November 1986 to be admitted . The Public Prosecutor's
Office thereby relied on Article 223 para . 1 (4) of the Code
of Criminal Procedure . On 2 October 1989 the Appenzell A .Rh
Court of Appeal decided to admit the request and to reopen
the proceedings which had been terminated by the judgment of
the Court of Appeal of 18 November 1986 .
2 . The Swiss Government pays the applicant SFr . 5000 .- to
cover his expenses . The sum will be transferred by the
Agent of the Federal Council to the applicant's
representative Dr . F . Oesch in St . Gallen . "
<Original>
"Namens des Bundesrates der Schweizerischen
Eidgenossenschaft als Beschwerdegegnerin in der
Individualbeschwerde Nr . 13467/87 des Herrn Jakob J â ge r
erkli;re ich unter Bezugnahme auf Artikel 28 (b) der Konvention
zum Schutze der Menschenrechte und Grundfreiheiten und im
Hinblick auf eine unter Mitwirkung der Europâischen
Kommission für Menschenrechte erzielte gütliche Regelung :
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13467/8 7
1 . Am 26 . September 1989 stellte die Staatsanwaltschaft
beim Obergericht von Appenzell A .Rh . ein Gesuch um Zulassung
der Revision des Urteils des Obergerichts vom 18 . November
1986 . Die Staatsanwaltschaft stützte sich dabei auf Artikel
223 Abs . 1 Ziff . 4 StPO . Am 2 . Oktober 1989 beschloss das
Obergericht von Appenzell A .Rh ., das Revisionsgesuch
zuzulassen und das vom Obergericht mit Urteil vom 18 .
November 1986 abgeschlossene Verfahren wieder aufzunehmen .
2 . Der Bundesrat zahlt dem Beschwerdeführer als
Ausgleich für die ihm entstandenen Kosten SFr . 5000 .- .
Dieser Betrag wird vom Verfahrensbevollmdchtigten des
Bundesrates an Herrn Rechtsanwalt Dr . F . Oesch in St . Galle n
überwiesen . "
15 . On 10 November 1989 the applicant submitted to the Commission
the following statement :
<Translation>
"In the proceedings against the Swiss
Confederation I hereby declare my application against
the Swiss Confederation as settled .
I furthermore declare that I will not make any
claims relating to the present application which exceed the
compensation paid under the terms of the friendly
settlement .
I give this declaration in regard to the friendly
settlement which under Article 28 (b) of the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms has
been reached, with the assistance of the European Commission
of Human Rights, in the proceedings concerning Application
No . 13467/87 . "
<Original>
"In meinem Verfahren gegen die Schweizerische
Eidgenossenschaft erkldre ich hiermit meine Beschwerde für
erledigt .
Ich erklâre ferner, daE ich aus dem der
Individualbeschwerde zugrundeliegenden Sachverhalt keine
Ansprüche geltend machen werde, die über die
Ausgleichszahlung im Rahmen der gütlichen Regelung
hinausgehen .
Diese Erklürung gebe ich im Hinblick auf die
gütliche Regelung im Sinne von Art . 28 (b) der Konvention zum
Schutze der Menschenrechte und Grundfreiheiten ab, di e
unter Mitwirkung der Europüischen Kommission für
Menschenrechte in dem Beschwerdeverfahren Nr . 13467/87
zustande gekommen ist ."
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13467/87
16 . The Commission, at its session on 11 December 1989, noted that
the parties had reached an agreement regarding the terms of a
settlement . The Commission found, having regard to Article 28 (b) of
the Convention, that a friendly settlement had been secured on the
basis of respect for Human Rights as defined in the Convention .
For these reasons, the Commission adopted this Report .
Secretary to the Commission President of the Commissio n
~
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(H .C . KRÜ ER)
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NG~~ !ry f~dl1l
( C .A . NH~tCAARD)