Procedural Rules of the Council of Priests Act As per Section VII(4) of the Scroll of Horus, this humble Council establishes procedural rules in pursuit of justice and the prosperity of Osiris.
I. The Council of Priests
(1) The duties and responsibilities of the Council of Priests are as follows:
a. Hold and moderate trials brought to their attention;
b. Determining guilt or lack of guilt;
c. Imposing penalties upon guilty parties.
II. Trial Procedure
(1) Any citizen may bring criminal charges before the Council of Priests in a public forum. All charges must be accepted and reviewed by the Council of Priests.
(2) When a criminal charge is accepted, the Council of Priests has two days to appoint a single High Priest to preside over the case who is tasked with establishing a prompt and rational schedule for the trial.
(3) The High Priest must inform the accused/defendant of the indictment against them before the trial commences.
(4) Before the trial commences the defense, prosecution and any legal representatives they may have must swear the following oath upon pain of Perjury. All witnesses must also swear this oath before giving evidence to the Council of Priests. Anyone who refuses to take this oath may not give evidence or prosecute the trial, if the defendant refuses to swear the oath they shall be found automatically guilty and shall be sentenced to the harshest penalties afforded by law.
“I solemnly swear, upon pain of Perjury that the evidence I shall give and the testimony that I shall bear will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
(5) Once the defendant has been informed, the High Priest will open a trial thread visible to the public where the defendant is invited to submit a plea, and the where the trial will take place.
(6) If the defendant pleads guilty, the case shall move immediately to sentencing. If the defendant pleads not guilty, the case shall move to trial. If the defendant is absent, it will be assumed that their plea is not guilty, and the case will move to trial.
(7) At any point during the trial, should the High Priest feel that one of the Priests has a Conflict of Interest with relation to the case they may ask the Priest to recuse themself. A Priest may also choose to recuse themself of their own accord. Should a Priest recuse themself, the trial shall proceed with 2 Priests. In the event of a tied judgement the Pharaoh shall break the tie. If a case stands to potentially incriminate the Pharaoh then the Heir Apparent or the most senior guardian in the line of succession shall break the tie.
(8) The Pharaoh shall not stand as the prosecution in a trial which stands to potentially incriminate the Pharaoh. Where a trial serves to potentially incriminate the Pharaoh, the Heir Apparent or the most senior Guardian in the Line of Succession shall prosecute or appoint a prosecutor.
(9) The trial will must consist of the following stages following a plea:
a. Evidence - Both the prosecuting and defending parties must submit evidence to the High Priest, who in turn will share it with the rest of the Council of Priests for review. All evidence of the prosecuting party will be presented to the public. Witnesses, if any, will be called to the stand. Then, all evidence of the defending party will be presented to the public. Witnesses, if any, will be called to the stand. Cross-examination of witnesses from both parties is allowed.
b. Pretrial Motions - Both the prosecution and defense may make requests and motions to the High Priest for actions such as, but not limited too, the exchanging of evidence and witness lists. The acceptability of such motions shall be decided by the High Priest.
c. Opening Statements - Both the prosecution and defense must put forward an opening statement to the High Priest providing an overview of their argument and the evidence they will put forward.
d. Debate - Once the evidence from both parties has been presented, a period of time will begin where each party may make arguments on evidence and defend arguments made against them or their evidence. The High Priest may, at any time during the presenting of evidence or during the debate, ask questions directed at either party for clarification.
e. Verdict - The High Priest will discuss the trial, evidence, and debate with the rest of the Council of Priests. The Council will have a maximum of four days to decide a proper verdict for the accused. A verdict is decided with a two-thirds vote. The verdict will be posted publicly.
f. Sentence - If the defending party is found guilty, both the prosecuting and defending parties may recommend sentences to the High Priest. The Council of Priests has a maximum of four days to decide on a sentencing with a two-thirds vote.
(10) The High Priest may order that presentations of evidence at trial be redacted to exclude material that might reveal private and/or real life matters such as, but not limited to, a player's real life identity, IP address, location, and social media accounts without the consent of the player in question.
Legislative History
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Amendment History
Lessons Learnt Act:
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