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Optional Protocol related to the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (A-59) [1993] OASMTSer 3

OPTIONAL PROTOCOL RELATED TO THE INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION ON MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS

The member states of the Organization of American States,
BEARING IN MIND the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters adopted at Nassau on May 23, 1992 (hereinafter referred to as "the Convention"),
HAVE AGREED to adopt the following Optional Protocol related to the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters:
Article 1
The states parties to this Protocol shall not exercise the right provided for in Article 9.f of the Convention to refuse a request for assistance solely on the ground that the request concern a tax crime in any case in which the request is from another state party to this Protocol.
Article 2
The states parties to this Protocol, when acting as a requested state under the Convention, shall not decline assistance which requires the measures referred to in Article 5 of the Convention, if the act specified in the request corresponds to a tax crime of the same nature under the laws of the requested state.
FINAL CLAUSES
Article 3
1. This Protocol shall be open for signature by member states of the Organization of American States at the OAS General Secretariat on and after January 1, 1994, and shall be subject to ratification or accession only by states parties to the Convention.
2. This Protocol shall remain open for accession by any other state that accedes to or has acceded to the Convention under the conditions set forth in this article.
3. The instruments of ratification and accession shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States.
4. Each state may make reservations to this Protocol at the time of signature, ratification, or accession, provided that each reservation is not incompatible with the object and purpose of the Protocol.
5. This Protocol shall not be interpreted as affecting or restricting obligations in effect under other international, bilateral, or multilateral conventions that contain clauses governing any specific aspect of international criminal assistance, wholly or in part, or more favorable practices which those states might observe.
6. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the date on which two states parties have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession, provided that the Convention has entered into force.
7. For each state that ratifies or accedes to the Protocol after the deposit of the second instrument of ratification or accession, the Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after deposit by such state of its instrument of ratification or accession, provided that such state is a party to the Convention.
8. If a state party has two or more territorial units in which different systems of law govern matters addressed in this Protocol, it shall state at the time of signature, ratification, or accession whether this Protocol shall apply to all of its territorial units or only to one or more of them.
9. Statements referred to in paragraph 8 of this Article may be amended by way of subsequent statements which shall expressly indicate the territorial units to which the Protocol shall apply. Such subsequent declarations shall be transmitted to the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, and shall become effective thirty days after the date of receipt.
Article 4
This Protocol shall remain in force as long as the Convention remains in force, but any of the states parties may denounce it. The instrument of denunciation shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States. After one year from the date of the deposit of the instrument of denunciation, the Protocol shall cease to be in effect for the denouncing state, but shall remain in effect for the other states parties.
Article 5
The original of this Protocol, the English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, which shall forward authenticated copies of the text to the United Nations Secretariat for registration.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States shall notify the member states of the Organization and those states that have acceded to the Convention and Protocol of the signatures and deposits of instruments of ratification, accession, and denunciation as well as reservations, if any. It shall also transmit to them the statements specified in Article 3 of this Protocol.
DONE IN MANAGUA, NICARAGUA, the eleventh day of June, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three.