If the control operations are planned with a view to investigating offences, the Public Prosecutor shall be informed in advance and may object. The public prosecutor is informed immediately, by any means, as soon as an offence is detected.
In all the places mentioned in Article L. 425-4 to which they have access and for the exercise of judicial police missions carried out under the conditions defined in this Article, the New Caledonian agents mentioned in Article L. 425-2 may only seize objects or documents relating to infringements of the provisions of this chapter with the authorisation given by order of the liberty and custody judge in whose jurisdiction the items to be seized are located.
The application for an order must include all the information required to justify the seizure. Officers in possession of this order may, if necessary, call in the police. The operations are carried out under the authority and control of the judge who authorised them.
The order is notified on the spot, at the time of access to the premises or seizure, to the person in charge of the premises or his representative, who receives a copy. In the absence of the person in charge of the premises or his representative, the order is notified to him, after the visit, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. Notification is deemed to have been made on the date of receipt shown on the notice.
The items seized are immediately inventoried in the presence of the person in charge of the premises, or their representative.
The inventory is appended to the report drawn up on the spot describing the operations. The originals of the report and the inventory are sent to the judge who authorised the operations within five days of their completion. A copy is given to the person concerned.
The liberty and custody judge may order the release of the seizure at any time.
The persons referred to in article L. 425-2 shall record the offences referred to in this chapter in reports, which shall be deemed authentic until proven otherwise.
These reports shall be sent to the Public Prosecutor, under penalty of nullity, within five days of the end of the operations. A copy of the reports shall also be given to the person concerned within the same time limit.
The agents of New Caledonia mentioned in Article L. 425-2 may be requested by the public prosecutor, the investigating judge or the officers or agents of the judicial police to assist them.