[Letter] Legate Ahmet - Legal Review

[One_With_Nature]

Legate Ahmet,

I have taken the time to conduct a full review of our current laws, to review them for any discrepancies or improvements that would help improve enforcement, provide clarity or improve judicial integrity. I submit below various amendments for your consideration, I have broken it down into current laws and proposed laws for your convenience. If you would like to discuss them, it would best be done in person. 

Current Punishments:

Minor Offences: Punishments may be issued by any Jannisary.
Serious Offences: Fines greater than 500 gold, forced conscription and bondage become available as punishments. Punishments may be issued by a judge, or, only if none are available, a Jannisary officer.
Capital Offences: Exile and execution become available as punishments. Punishments must be issued by a judge.

Proposed Punishments:

Minor Offences: Punishment's may be issued by any Jannisary. Fines upto 500 dinars. Fines over 500 dinars and up to the value of 2500 may be issued by a Jannisary officer.

Serious Offences: Fines greater then 2500 dinars, conscription and bondage become available as punishments.  Punishments may be issued by a judge , or if none are available a Jannisary officer. Punishment issued by a Jannisary Officer may be appealed before a judge and a trial called at a later date. Appealed trials that lead to a guilty verdict may incur additional penalties to the accused.

Capital Offences: Exile and execution become available as punishments. Punishments must be issued by a judge. Where there is more than one judge available, the judge that shall preside will be the judge who is the least involved with the accused, be it by association or other affiliation, political or otherwise.

Current Vandalism Law:

A person found guilty of destroying, attempting to destroy, or diminishing the value of the effects  or property of a Citizen of Ephia's Well or Organisation has committed Vandalism. Minor to Capital.

Minor: Under 250gp of Damage (Includes spitting)
Serious: Above 250gp of Damage.
Capital: Above 2500gp of Damage.

Proposed Vandalism Law:

Vandalism
A person found guilty of destroying, attempting to destroy, or diminishing the value of the effects or property of a person of Ephia's Well or organisation has committed Vandalism. Minor to Capital.
Minor: Under 2500gp worth of damages.
Serious: Between 2500gp - 15000gp worth of damages.
Capital- Over 15000 worth of damages.

Current Treason Law:

A person found guilty of doing or conspiring to do treasonous acts has committed Treason. Treasonous acts include wage war or conspiring to wage war against Ephia's Well, or participating in attempts to undermine or harm the Legates. Capital.

Proposed Treason Law:

Treason
A person found guilty of betraying or undermining the government of Ephia's Well, attempting to murder or cause serious injury to a Legate, waging war against Ephia's Well or helping the enemies of Ephia's Well wage war have committed Treason. Capital.

Current Interference with Jurisprudence Law:

A person found guilty of intentionally and directly disrupting the process of Jurisprudence has committed interference with Jurisprudence. This may include knowingly presenting false evidence or testimony, assault during an active trial, egregious mishandling of prosecution or advocacy, or any other action that will directly hinder the process of of any investigation or a trial or the punishment the accused was sentenced to. Minor to Capital, matching the severity of the accused's trial or the punishment interfered with.

Proposed Interference with Jurisprudence Law:

Interference with Jurisprudence
A person found guilty of intentionally and directly disrupting the process of Jurisprudence has committed interference with Jurisprudence. This may include knowingly presenting false evidence or testimony, assault during an active trial, egregious mishandling of prosecution or advocacy, or any other action that will directly hinder the process of of any investigation, trial or the punishment the accused was sentenced to. Minor to Capital

Minor: Disrupting proceedings. Attempting to prevent a verdict from being carried out of a minor verdict. Fines up to 2500gp and flogging become available punishments.
Serious: Halting proceedings due to their actions, or attempting to prevent a verdict from being carried of a serious verdict. 
Capital: Physically harming the judge, prosecution, advocate, witness, accused or any other person involved in the trial in an attempt to circumvent the process of law. Attempting to prevent a verdict from being carried out of a capital verdict.

Current Accord Governance Law:

A person who is a member of an accord signatory found guilty of putting their name forth in an election to obtain the seat of a Legate has committed Accord Governance. Furthermore, a member of an accord signatory may not hold the position of Prelate or Magistrate, with an exception provided for each Legate to appoint a maximum of one Magistrate from either the Cinquefoil Rose or the Astronomers of Q'Tolip. Capital.

Proposed Accord Governance Law:

Accord Governance
A person who is a member of an accord signatory found guilty of attempting to obtain a seat during election or otherwise as a Legate of Ephia's Well has committed Accord Governance. Furthermore, no member of an accord signatory may sit as Magistrate, Prelate or any other government issued position that holds authority within government, or grants a wage paid for by Ephia's Wells coffers.

Current Unlicensed Activity Law:

A person found guilty of performing an activity requiring a license without possessing a valid license has committed unlicensed activity. Minor.

Proposed Unlicensed Activity Law:

Unlicensed Activity

A person found guilty of performing an activity requiring a license without possessing a valid license has committed unlicensed activity. Minor.

Minor- Fine's up to the value of the license. An exception - Any Jannisary may issue this fine even if it exceeds 500 dinars.

Current Arms Bearing Law:

A person found guilty of brandishing, displaying, or otherwise wielding weapons capable of harming another within the walls of Ephia's Well without a Legates authorisation has committed Arms Bearing. Minor.

Proposed Arms Bearing Law:

Arm's Bearing
A person found guilty of brandishing, displaying, or otherwise wielding weapon(s) capable of harming a person within the walls of Ephia's Well without a Legates authorisation has committed Arms Bearing. Minor.

Legate's Authorisation can be verbal on a one time basis, or permanent with written and signed permission by a Legate.

Current Desecration Law:

A person found guilty of animating the dead or desecrating a corpse has committed Desecration. Minor to Capital.

Minor: Robbing a grave or possessing items that may animate the dead.
Serious: Desecrating a corpse, or intentionally impeding a corpses's delivery to the Maqbara, or causing irreparable damage to a grave.
Capital: Animating the dead, or trading or purchasing, the remains of a sainted martyr, Sultan, Caliph or Legate.

Proposed Desecration Law:

Desecration
A person found guilty of animating the dead, descrating a corpse or disturbing the remains of a corpse buried in Hallow grounds has committed desecration. Minor to Capital.
Minor - Robbing a grave or possessing items that may animate the dead. Unintenmtionally disturbing a corpse buried in hallowed grounds.
Serious - Desecrating a corpse, or intentionally impeding a corpses delivery to the Maqbara, or causing irreparable damage to a grave. Knowingly disturbing a corpse in hallowed grounds with the intention of robbing or removing the corpse.
Capital: Animating the dead, trading or purchasing the remains of any corpse of a civilised race regardless of intention.

Current Brooking Law:

A person found guilty of entering negotiations with or attempting to bind otherworldly spirits, monstrosities, or horrors has committed the crime of brooking. Serious to Capital.

Serious: Carrying contraband for the use of brooking or other dark magic. Carrying or possessing, by incident or accident, artifice related to the act of Brooking.
Capital: Committing the act of Brooking. Willingly possessing tools for the purpose of Brooking. Willingly wielding weapons or armour fashioned by or by the power of Djinn or horror.

Proposed Brooking Law:

Brooking
A person found to have entered negotiations with, attempting to conjure, contact or bargain with otherworldly spirits, monstrosities, Djinn or horrors has committed Brooking. Serious to Capital.

Serious: Carrying contraband for the use of brooking or other dark magic. Carrying or possessing by incident or accident, artifice related to the act of brooking.
Capital: Commiting the act of brooking. Willingly possessing tools for the purpose of brooking. Willingly wielding weapons, armours or artifice fashioned by or empowered by otherworldly spirits, monstrosities, Djinn or horrors.

Items can be brought to members of the Astronomers of Q'tolip or the Sister of the Sybylline Vine for appropriate disposal, binding or containing, but not willingly brought into Ephia's Well without permission to do so by a Jannisary and only for the purpose of delivering them to the two mentioned parties.

- Written by Witness Scribe Ekmel Fonzuvi