1. Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Attaché – in-house legal counsel Legal Department of the Belgian House of Representatives Brussels – 8 November 2007 « Parliament & Judiciary » ECPRD-seminar « Parliament & Judiciary »

2. Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises – introductory analysis – Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Attaché – in-house legal counsel Legal Department of the Belgian House of Representatives Brussels – 8 November 2007 « Parliament & Judiciary » ECPRD-seminar « Parliament & Judiciary »

3. 3ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises Area of tension –Parliamentary autonomy –General legal principles Crossing –Criminal law (search and seizure) –Public law (Parliament’s premises)

4. 4ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises Questionnaires –Can a search or a seizure be carried out in the precincts of a parliamentary assembly? –Against whom can such acts be carried out? –What are the procedural guarantees?

5. 5ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises

6. 6ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises S+S on Parliament’s premises –Majority: yes → few precedents, however –Small minority: no

7. 7ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises S+S against Parliament itself –Majority: no –Small minority: yes → legal personality

8. 8ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises S+S against MPs –Yes –Restrictions

9. 9ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises Legal framework –General law –Special protection for MPs Often But not always –Specific regulation ! Few precedents ! → hesitation

10. 10ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises Procedural guarantees –General legal requirements, e.g. court order –Additional procedural guarantees E.g. authorisation or presence of the assembly’s president Due to specific parliamentary framework?

11. 11ECPRD-seminar "Parliament & Judiciary" - Analysis - Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises Preliminary conclusion –Search and seizure on Parliament’s premises General legal principles Specific protective measures towards MPs –Parliament’s premises: additional requirements –Absence / existence of only a few precedents –Area of tension?

12. Pieter Dirck G. CABOOR Attaché – in-house legal counsel Legal Department of the Belgian House of Representatives Brussels – 8 November 2007 « Parliament & Judiciary » ECPRD-seminar « Parliament & Judiciary »