CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE ACT
declined to prosecute him or her, would have qualified for legal assistance at the expense of the State); or
(d) that it is not in the interests of national security or the public interest generally to grant
the certificate to the private party.
(4) When the right of prosecution referred to in this Part is possessed under any statute by
any public body or person in respect of particular offences. subsections (1). (2) and (3) shall
not apply.
[Section substituted by s. 5 of Act No. 2 of 2016]
17 Private prosecutor may be ordered to give security for costs
Where a private prosecution is being or has been instituted by a person other than a public
body or person described in section 14(d), the court may order him or her to give such security
as the court may direct for the payment of any costs incurred by the accused person in respect
of his or her defence, and where the court has made such an order no further steps shall be
taken in the prosecution until the security has been given.
[Section substituted by s. 6 of Act No. 2 of 2016]
18 Failure of private prosecutor to appear on appointed day
(1) If the prosecutor, being a private party, does not appear on the day appointed for appearance, the charge or complaint shall be dismissed unless the court sees reason to believe that
such party was prevented from being present by circumstances beyond his control, in which
case it may adjourn the hearing of the case.
(2) In the case of any dismissal in terms of subsection (1), the accused shall not be again
liable to prosecution on the same charge by any private party, but no such dismissal shall
prevent the Prosecutor-General, or a public prosecutor on the instructions of the ProsecutorGeneral, from afterwards taking up the case.
[Subsection amended by s. 33 of Act No. 5 of 2014 with effect from 2.1.2015.]
19 Mode of conducting private prosecutions
A private prosecution shall, subject to this Act, be proceeded with in the same manner as if it
were being conducted at the public instance, except that all costs and expenses of the prosecution shall be paid by the party prosecuting, subject to any order that the court may make when
the prosecution is finally concluded.
20 Competency of Prosecutor-General to take up and conduct prosecution at
public instance
In the case of a prosecution at the instance of a private party, the Prosecutor-General or the
local public prosecutor may apply by motion to any court before which the prosecution is
pending to stop all further proceedings in the case, in order that prosecution for the offence may
be instituted or continued at the public instance and such court shall, in every such case, make
an order in terms of the motion.
[Section amended by s. 33 of Act No. 5 of 2014 with effect from 2.1.2015.]
21 Deposit of money by private prosecutor
In the case of a criminal prosecution at the instance of a private party, the registrar or clerk
of the court shall, for the service of any criminal summons or subpoena or execution of any
warrant of arrest or other criminal process, demand and receive the prescribed fee.
22 Costs of private prosecution
(1) Where a person prosecuted at the instance of a private party is acquitted, the court in
which the prosecution was brought may order the party that instituted the prosecution to pay to
the party prosecuted the whole or any part of the expenses, including the costs both before and
after committal, which may have been occasioned to him by the prosecution.
(2) Where the court, upon hearing the charge or complaint on a private prosecution, pronounces the same unfounded and vexatious, it shall award to the accused on his request such
costs as it may think fit.
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