Without prejudice to the legislation in force within the State and to the provisions of the treaties or conventions to which the State is a party, or under the condition of reciprocity, the following shall apply: 1. None of the following shall constitute a ground for refusal of a request for international cooperation: a. That the request involves matters of a financial, customs, or direct or indirect tax nature. b. The mandatory confidentiality provisions applicable to Financial Institutions, DNFBPs, and Virtual Asset Service Providers, unless the relevant information has been obtained under circumstances wherein legal professional privilege or professional secrecy applies. c. Any other cases specified in the Executive Regulations hereof. 2. Any judgment or judicial order issued by a competent court or judicial authority in another State providing for provisional measures or for Confiscation in any of its forms of Criminal Property or of Funds equivalent in value thereto, relating to a Predicate Offence or Money Laundering, may be executed without the need for national investigations. 3. The Concerned Authorities shall accord priority to all requests for international cooperation, particularly those related to the Crime, and shall execute such requests expeditiously; they shall exchange information with competent foreign authorities, both counterpart and non-counterpart, automatically and upon request, and shall take effective measures to preserve the confidentiality of the information received and to use the same solely for the purpose for which it was requested or provided. 4. The competent judicial authorities, upon request from a judicial authority in another State, shall provide mutual legal assistance in investigations, prosecutions, or proceedings related to the Crime, and may order the following: a. The identification, tracing, evaluation, Seizure, Freezing, or Confiscation of Funds, Criminal Property, or funds of equivalent in value, or any other measures applicable in accordance with the legislation in force within the State, including the provision of records held by Financial Institutions, DNFBPs, Virtual Asset Service Providers, or Non-Profit Organizations; the search of persons and premises; the taking of witness statements; the obtaining of evidence; and the use of investigative techniques such as Undercover Operations, interception of communications, electronic data and information gathering, and Controlled Delivery. b. The surrender and recovery of persons and Criminal Property. 5. The Concerned Authorities shall exchange, to the maximum extent possible, information related to the Crime with competent foreign authorities, obtain on their behalf any other required information, and execute the requests received therefrom. 6. The Executive Regulations of this Decree by Law shall determine the rules, controls, and procedures governing international cooperation.
Interpretation and application must be checked against the official text and current version.