Cap. 242 Art. 14Admissibility of evidence given in reciprocating country.

(1) A statement contained in -

(a) a document, duly authenticated, which purports to set out or summarise evidence given in proceedings in a court in a reciprocating country; or

(b) a document, duly authenticated, which purports to set out or summarise evidence taken in such a country for the purpose of proceedings in a court in Malta under court in such a country or to be a copy of a document so received, shall in any proceedings in a court in Malta relating to a maintenance order to which this Act applies be admissible as evidence of any fact stated therein to the same extent as oral evidence of that fact is admissible in those proceedings.

(2) A document purporting to set out or summarise evidence as mentioned in subarticle (1)(a), or taken as mentioned in paragraph

(b) of that subarticle, shall be deemed to be duly authenticated for the purposes of that subarticle if the document purports to be certified by the judge, magistrate or other person before whom the evidence was given, or, as the case may be, by whom it was taken, to be the original document containing or recording, or, as the case may be, summarising, that evidence or a true copy of that document.

(3) A document purporting to have been received in evidence as mentioned in subarticle (1)(c), or to be a copy of a document so received, shall be deemed to be duly authenticated for the purposes of that subarticle if the document purports to be certified by a judge, magistrate or officer of the court in question to have been, or to be a true copy of a document which has been, so received.

(4) It shall not be necessary in any such proceedings as aforesaid to prove the signature or official position of the person appearing to have given such certificate.

(5) Nothing in this article shall prejudice the admission in evidence of any document which is admissible in evidence apart from this article.