Opinion ID: 781597
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Liberal Construction to Effectuate Stated Purpose of the Treaty

Text: 48 The purposes and objectives stated in the Treaty's preamble supports an interpretation of the MLAT that allows the issuance of subpoenas at the request of Canada to compel testimony of witnesses pursuant to a criminal investigation occurring prior to the filing of formal charges. The Preamble of the MLAT states that it was created out of a desire to improve the effectiveness of both countries in the investigation, prosecution and suppression of crime through cooperation and mutual assistance in law enforcement matters. MLAT, Preamble. We agree with the appellant that if the MLAT is read to only allow assistance that is already obtainable through the letter rogatory process, it would have accomplished very little. While such a reading would at least allow the Treaty to serve to make assistance between the two countries part of a binding agreement, the scope of assistance would be unchanged, rendering the Treaty of little practical significance and no great improvement would have been achieved in the area of international criminal investigation and prosecution. Such a narrow reading is contrary to the fundamental principle of treaty interpretation that a treaty should be construed liberally to give effect to the purpose which animates it and that even where a provision of a treaty fairly admits of two constructions, one restricting, the other enlarging, rights which may be claimed under it, the more liberal interpretation is to be preferred. United States v. Stuart, 489 U.S. 353, 368, 109 S.Ct. 1183, 1192, 103 L.Ed.2d 388 (1989). See also St. Paul Ins. Co. v. Venezuelan Int'l Airways, 807 F.2d 1543, 1546 (11th Cir.1987). We reject the appellees' interpretation of treaty language that would make the Treaty nearly superfluous in light of existing law. By reading Article VII, ¶ 2 to refer to procedures and methods rather than to incorporate a serious and debilitating limitation on the permissible scope of assistance under the Treaty, we faithfully interpret the MLAT in the context of its stated purposes and objectives. This construction will fully effectuate the MLAT's intended goal of improving the effectiveness of both countries' ability to investigate, prosecute and suppress crime. 49