Special Commission Court.
2.—(1) The Governor may from time to time direct a commission or commissions to be issued for the appointment of a Court or Courts of Special Commissioners for the trial in manner provided by this Ordinance of persons, committed for trial before the Supreme Court of the Colony or the Circuit Court of the Protectorate, for any of the following offences committed in the Colony or Protectorate, whether before or after the commencement of this Ordinance; that is to say,
(a) murder, committed in connection with an unlawful society;
(b) attempting or conspiring to commit murder in connection with an unlawful society;
No. 28 of 1909.
(c) any of the offences under Section 2 of the Human Leopard and Alligator Societies Ordinance, 1909, or under any Ordinance amending that Ordinance;
and the Governor may by warrant assign to any such Court of Special Commissioners (in this Ordinance referred to as a Special Commission Court) the duty of sitting at the place named in the warrant, and of there, without a jury and not assisted by any native chief, or non-native or native assessors, hearing and determining, according to law, the charge made against the person so committed for trial and named in the warrant, and of doing therein what to justice appertains.
(2) A Special Commission Court shall consist of three persons to be named in such commission, of whom one shall be a judge or barrister or solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Colony or of any other Court in the British dominions, and they shall try in open court, according to the tenor of a warrant under this Ordinance, all persons named in the warrant who may be brought before them for trial. The Governor shall appoint one of the members of a Special Commission Court to be the President thereof.
No. 1 of 1870.
(3) A member of a Special Commission Court shall take such oaths as are prescribed by the Promissory Oaths Ordinance of 1870, to be taken by Judges.