Hearings, Procedure
1. The chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber shall conduct the hearing in whatever manner they deem appropriate, provided it is consistent with this Code.
2. It is the responsibility of the parties to ensure the appearance of the witnesses requested by them and to pay all costs and expenses associated with the parties’ and the witnesses’ appearance.
3. Witnesses called by the parties and/or by the investigatory chamber shall, in principle, appear in person. The chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber or their deputy may, however, decide to hear the parties by video conference, which shall be conducted under the specific conditions set by the chairperson or their deputy/acting chairperson.
4. Wherever possible, the hearing shall proceed according to the following sequence:
- a. testimony of any witnesses called by the accused and approved by the adjudicatory chamber;
- b. testimony of any witnesses called by the investigatory chamber and approved by the adjudicatory chamber;
- c. testimony of any witnesses called by the adjudicatory chamber;
- d. closing statement by the investigatory chamber;
- e. closing statement by a legal representative, if any, of the accused;
- f. rebuttal statement by the investigatory chamber and the parties, if applicable;
- g. final opportunity for the accused to speak.
5. Exceptionally, the chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber (or the deputy/ acting chairperson in the respective proceedings) may decide to organise a hearing by means of video-conference.