Section 116B
Admissibility of statements in evidence
In any trial or inquiry by a court into an offence under this
Act, any statement, whether the statement amounts to a confession or not or whether it is oral or in writing, made at any time, whether before or after the person is charged and whether in the course of an investigation under this Act or not, and whether or not wholly or partly
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in answers to questions, by an accused person to or in the hearing of any officer of customs, and whether or not interpreted to him by any other officer of customs or any other person, shall, notwithstanding any written law to the contrary, be admissible at his trial in evidence and, if that person tenders himself as a witness, any such statement may be used in cross-examination and for the purpose of impeaching his credit.
(2)
No statement made under subsection (1) shall be admissible or used in cross-examination or for the purpose of impeaching the credit of the person making the statement if the making of the statement appears to the court to have been caused by any inducement, threat or promise having reference to the charge against the person, proceeding from a person in authority and sufficient in the opinion of the court to give that person grounds which would appear to him reasonable for supposing that by making it he would gain any advantage or avoid any evil of a temporal nature in reference to the proceedings against him.
(3)
Where any person is arrested for an offence under this Act, he shall be cautioned in the following words or words to the like effect:
“It is my duty to warn you that you are not obliged to say anything or to answer any question, but anything you say, whether in answer to a question or not, may be given in evidence”.
(4)
A statement made by any person accused of an offence under this Act made before there is time to caution him shall not be rendered inadmissible in evidence merely by reason of no such caution having been administered if it has been administered as soon as possible.
(5)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any written law, a person accused of an offence under this Act to which subsection (1) applies, shall not be bound to answer any question relating to the case after any caution referred to in subsection (3) has been administered to him.
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