cians appointed by the court for the examination of the ill person

have been heard.1

6. When unexpected revelations or retractions produce substantial changes in the actions, making new elements of proof or some supplementary summary investigation necessary."

1 Paragraphs 4 and 5 of art. 746 are modified for Cuba to read as follows:

4th. Whenever any member of the court, or the fiscal or counsel for any of the parties, should fall suddenly ill, and not be able to take part in the oral trial, and a substitute can not be found immediately for said counsel, the trial shall be set for another day within the next ten. If said counsel, or any other appointed by the accused, should not be able to appear even then, the court shall appoint one de oficio (by its own action) and responsibility, in order that the trial may take place within the following ten days; which period shall not be subject to extension.

Whenever there are several parties accused and several lawyers for the defense, if any one of said lawyers should fail to appear, the court shall appoint counsel for the party or parties accused, whose lawyer may have failed to appear for any reason, from among the lawyers present belonging to the other persons under trial, provided there be no opposing interests involved. In the latter case the trial will be set within the next ten days at most.

5th. A trial shall be suspended if the party accused, there being but one, be so ill (as specified in the preceding paragraph) as not to be able to appear at the trial; but if there be more than one party accused and the court believes that the trial can go on with the parties and lawyers who may be present, it shall order the trial, setting nevertheless a new trial for the parties who have not appeared.

In all cases of nonappearance the accused must present proof of alleged illness by presenting a medical certificate, signed by two doctors, under oath before the court or a notary public, which shall state the disease or disability, and that it is absolutely impossible for the party accused to be present at the trial.

The day fixed for the trial shall not be beyond the following ten.

2

(See in Appendix I, Order No. 181, of April 30, 1900.)

Although in accordance with the sixth case of art. 746 of the law of criminal procedure, when unexpected revelations or retractions produce substantial changes in the proceedings, necessitating new elements of proof or some supplementary summary investigation, the suspension of the oral trial will lie, the fact that the accused shall not have confessed at the oral trial his guilt of the crime charged to him in the classification and it having been declared in the sumario that he is the author of the document in which the crime is supposed to have been committed, is not an unexpected retraction, nor does it even imply a contradiction on the part of the accused, because the investigation of the act is one thing and its classification another. (Decision of October 8, 1883.)

In a cause for theft a day was fixed for the hearing, which it was necessary to stay on account of another hearing having been set by another audiencia in an action brought against the accused for the same crime. Upon the suspended hearing being had upon another day, the fiscal requested the suspension of the action in order that a certificate of the final sentence rendered in the other cause might be submitted, which petition was refused.

Upon interposing an appeal for annulment of judgment, the sentence was annulled: "Considering that as prescribed by the said legal provision (art. 746), invoked as a ground for this appeal, the suspension of the action was proper, because the fact of the accused having been punished for the same crime by virtue of a final sentence recently rendered in another cause for theft, of which the public prosecutor did not

ART. 747. En los casos 1.°, 2.o, 4.o, y 5.o del artículo anterior, el tribunal podrá decretar de oficio la suspensión. En los demás casos la decretará, siendo procedente, á instancia de parte.

ART. 748. En los autos de suspensión que se dicten se fijará el tiempo de la suspensión, si fuere posible, y se determinará lo que corresponda para la continuación del juicio.

Contra estos autos no se dará recurso alguno.

ART. 749. Cuando por razón de los casos previstos en los números 4.° y 5.° del artículo 746 haya de prolongarse indefinidamente la suspensión del juicio, ó por un tiempo demasiado largo, se declarará sin efecto la parte del juicio celebrada y se citará á nuevo juicio para cuando desaparezca la causa de la suspensión ó puedan ser reemplazadas las personas reemplazables.

Lo mismo podrá acordar el tribunal en el caso del número 6.o, si la preparación de los elementos de prueba ó la sumaria instrucción suplementaria exigiere algún tiempo.

había tenido noticia el ministerio público, justificada debidamente, producía alteración sustancial en el mismo respecto de la criminalidad del procesado.

"Considerando, en su virtud, que procede el recurso como comprendido en el caso 1.o del artículo 912 de la citada ley, por haberse denegado una diligencia de prueba conocidamente pertinente y propuesta en tiempo y forma, atendida su naturaleza.” (Sentencia de 22 de Enero de 1885.)

ART. 747. The court may order the suspension at its own instance in the 1st, 2d, 4th, and 5th cases of the preceding article. In the other cases it shall order the suspension, if proper, on motion of a party.

ART. 748. The decrees ordering the suspension shall state the time thereof, if possible; and what may be proper for the continuation of the trial shall be determined.

There shall be no remedy against these decrees.

ART. 749. When the suspension of the trial must be for an indefinite or too long a period by reason of the cases provided for in numbers 4 and 5 of article 746, the part of the trial already held shall be declared null and void, and citations shall issue for a new trial, to be held when the cause of the suspension disappears or when the persons who can be substituted are replaced.

The court may make a similar decision in the case of number 6, if the preparation of the elements of proof or the summary supplementary investigation should require some time.

have notice at the time, duly proven, produced a substantial change in the same with regard to the criminality of the accused.

"Considering, therefore, that the appeal lies as being included in the first case of art. 912 of the said law, by reason of evidence having been rejected which was known to be pertinent, and which was proposed in due time and form, in view of its character." (Decision of January 22, 1885.)

LIBRO CUARTO.

DE LOS PROCEDIMIENTOS ESPECIALES.

TÍTULO PRIMERO.

DEL MODO DE PROCEDER CUANDO FUERE PROCESADO UN SENADOR Ó DIPUTADO Á CORTES.

ART. 750. El juez ó tribunal que encuentre méritos para procesar á un Senador ó Diputado á Cortes por causa de delito se abstendrá de dirigir el procedimiento contra él, si las Cortes estuvieren abiertas, hasta obtener la correspondiente autorización del cuerpo colegislador á que pertenezca.

ART. 751. Cuando el Senador ó Diputado á Cortes fuere delincuente infraganti podrá ser detenido y procesado sin la autorización á que se refiere el artículo anterior; pero en las veinticuatro horas siguientes á la detención ó procesamiento deberá ponerse lo hecho en conocimiento del cuerpo colegislador á que corresponda.

Se pondrá también en conocimiento del cuerpo colegislador respectivo la causa que existiere pendiente contra el que, estando procesado, hubiese sido elegido Senador ó Diputado á Cortes.

ART. 752. Si un Senador ó Diputado á Cortes fuere procesado durante un interregno parlamentario, deberá el juez ó tribunal que conozca de la causa ponerlo inmediatamente en conocimiento del respectivo cuerpo colegislador.

Lo mismo se observará cuando haya sido procesado un Senador ó Diputado á Cortes electo antes de reunirse éstos.

ART. 753. En todo caso se suspenderán los procedimientos desde el día en que se dé conocimiento á las Cortes, estén ó no abiertas, permaneciendo las cosas en el estado en que entonces se hallen hasta que el cuerpo colegislador respectivo resuelva lo que tenga por conveniente.

ART. 754. Si el Senado ó el Congreso negasen la autorización pedida, se sobreseerá respecto al Senador ó Diputado á Cortes; pero continuará la causa contra los demás procesados.

ART. 755. La autorización se pedirá en forma de suplicatorio, remitiendo, con éste, y con carácter de reservado, el testimonio de los

BOOK IV.

SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS.

TITLE FIRST.

MANNER OF PROCEEDING IN THE TRIAL OF A SENATOR OR DEPUTY TO THE CORTES.

ART. 750. A judge or court who shall find grounds to try a Senator or Deputy to the Cortes by reason of a crime shall abstain from proceeding against him, if the Cortes should be in session, until the proper authority is obtained from the colegislative body of which he is a member.

ART. 751. If the Senator or Deputy to the Cortes should be a delinquent infraganti he may be arrested and proceeded against without the authority referred to in the foregoing article, but the action taken must be communicated to the proper colegislative body within twentyfour hours following his arrest or the institution of proceedings.

The proper colegislative body shall also be informed of a cause pending against a person who, while proceedings are pending against him, shall have been elected a Senator or Deputy to the Cortes.

ART. 752. If a Senator or Deputy to the Cortes should be indicted during a parliamentary recess the judge or court taking cognizance of the cause shall immediately inform the proper colegislative body thereof.

The same shall be done when a Senator or Deputy to the Cortes elect should have been accused before their meeting.

ART. 753. In any case the proceedings shall be suspended from the day the Cortes are informed, whether in session or otherwise, proceedings remaining in the condition in which they may be at that time until the proper colegislative body shall decide what it may consider advisable.

ART. 754. If the Senate or the Congress should refuse to grant the authority requested, the proceedings shall be dismissed with regard to the Senator or Deputy to the Cortes; but the cause shall continue with regard to the other persons accused.

ART. 755. The authority shall be requested in the form of a supplication, transmitting with the latter and in a confidential character a