Facts
On February 7, 1950, the Federal Criminal Court sentenced Métry to three and a half years of imprisonment, four years of deprivation of civil rights, and a fine of 20,000 francs for forgery, fraud, and violations of federal decrees on the payment service. Métry has served his custodial sentence. On July 29, 1958, the Confederation initiated proceedings to recover the fine, but Métry filed an objection, citing the statute of limitations.
On October 14, 1958, the investigating judge for the district of Sion refused to lift the objection, considering that the fine was time-barred under Art. 73 para. 1 of the Criminal Code. This decision was confirmed on February 25, 1959 by the Valais Cantonal Tribunal.
On May 18, 1960, the Federal Prosecutor's Office brought the matter before the Indictment Chamber of the Federal Tribunal, requesting that it be declared that the fine is not time-barred and that the case be remanded to the Cantonal Tribunal to order the lifting of the objection.
Considerations
The Indictment Chamber rejects the request of the Federal Prosecutor's Office. It considers that the Federal Tribunal has jurisdiction under Art. 357 of the Criminal Code, as the refusal of the Valais authorities to lift the objection constitutes a violation of the obligation to provide judicial assistance to the Confederation.
However, the Confederation's right to request the seizure had lapsed on May 18, 1960, as the lifting proceedings had ended on April 8, 1959 with the notification of the Cantonal Tribunal's judgment. Consequently, the request of the…