Cap. 144 Art. 5Restrictions of powers of entry in relationtoconsular offices.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, a consular office of a State to which this article applies shall not be entered by any member of the Police force or other person acting in the execution of any warrant or other legal process or in the exercise of power conferred by or under any other law (whether passed before or after the commencement of this Act), or otherwise, except with the consent of the consular officer in charge of that office or, if that consent is withheld or cannot be obtained, with the consent of the Minister: Provided that the foregoing provisions of this subarticle shall not apply in relation to any entry effected -

(a) by a member of the Police force for the purpose of extinguishing fire or preventing other disaster;

(b) by a member of the Police force having reasonable cause to believe that a crime involving violence has been or is being or is about to be committed in the consular office;

(c) by any person entitled to enter by virtue of any easement, contract or other private right.

(2) This article shall not apply to any consular office which for the time being is in the charge of a consular officer who is a citizen of Malta or is not a national of the State by which that office is maintained.

(3) For the purposes of this article the expression "consular office" means any building or part of a building which is exclusively occupied for the purposes of the official business of a consular officer.