64 | II Série A - Número: 090 | 6 de Março de 2015

legal assistance and any communication related thereto shall be effected between the central authorities designated by the Parties. This requirement shall be without prejudice to the right of a Party to require that such requests and communications be addressed to it through the diplomatic channel and, in urgent circumstances, where the Parties agree, through appropriate international organizations, if possible.
7. Requests shall be made in writing or, where possible, by any means capable of producing a written record, in a language acceptable to the requested Party under conditions allowing the Party to establish authenticity. The language or languages acceptable to each Party shall be notified to the Head of the Convention Secretariat at the time of accession, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation or ratification of this Protocol. In urgent circumstances, and where agreed by the Parties, requests may be made orally, but shall be confirmed in writing forthwith.
8. A request for mutual legal assistance shall contain: (a) the identity of the authority making the request; (b) the subject matter and nature of the investigation, prosecution or judicial proceeding to which the request relates, and the name and the functions of the authority conducting such investigation, prosecution or judicial proceeding; (c) a summary of the relevant facts, except in respect of requests for the purpose of service of judicial documents; (d) a description of the assistance sought and details of any particular procedure that the requesting Party wishes to be followed; (e) where possible, the identity, location and nationality of any person concerned; (f) the purpose for which the evidence, information or action is sought; and (g) the provisions of the domestic law relevant to the criminal offence and the punishment therefore.

9. The requested Party may request additional information when it appears necessary for the execution of the request in accordance with its domestic law or when it can facilitate such execution.
10. A request shall be executed in accordance with the domestic law of the requested Party and, to the extent not contrary to the domestic law of the requested Party and where possible, in accordance with the procedures specified in the request.
11. The requesting Party shall not transmit or use information or evidence furnished by the requested Party for investigations, prosecutions or judicial proceedings other than those stated in the request without the prior consent of the requested Party. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the requesting Party from disclosing in its proceedings information or evidence that is exculpatory to an accused person. In the latter case, the requesting Party shall notify the requested Party prior to the disclosure and, if so requested, consult with the requested Party.
If, in an exceptional case, advance notice is not possible, the requesting Party shall inform the requested Party of the disclosure without delay.
12. The requesting Party may require that the requested Party keep confidential the fact and substance of the request, except to the extent necessary to execute the request. If the requested Party cannot comply with the requirement of confidentiality, it shall promptly inform the requesting Party.
13. Wherever possible and consistent with fundamental principles of domestic law, when an individual is in the territory of a Party and has to be heard as a witness or expert by the judicial authorities of another Party, the first Party may, at the request of the other, permit the hearing to take place by video conference if it is not possible or desirable for the individual in question to appear in person in the territory of the requesting Party. Parties may agree that the hearing shall be conducted by a judicial authority of the requesting Party and attended by a judicial authority of the requested Party.
14. Mutual legal assistance may be refused: (a) if the request is not made in conformity with this Article; (b) if the requested Party considers that execution of the request is likely to prejudice its sovereignty, security, ordre public or other essential interests; (c) if the authorities of the requested Party would be prohibited by its domestic law from carrying out the action requested with regard to any similar offence, had it been subject to investigation, prosecution or judicial proceedings under their own jurisdiction;