If a judge of a court of record in any state which by its laws has made provision for commanding persons within that state to attend and testify in criminal prosecutions in Puerto Rico, certifies under the seal of such court that there is a criminal prosecution for a felony pending in such court, that a person being within this Commonwealth is a material witness in such prosecution, and that his presence will be required for a specified number of days, upon receipt of such certificate, the judge of the part of the Court of First Instance in which such person is, shall fix a time and place for a hearing and shall notify the witness of such time and place.
If, at the hearing, the judge determines that the witness is material and necessary, that it will not cause undue hardship to the said witness to be compelled to attend and testify in the prosecution in the other state or territory, that the witness will not be compelled to travel more than two thousand (2,000) miles to reach the place of trial by the ordinary routes of travel, and that the laws of the state in which the prosecution is pending and those of any other state through which the witness may be required to pass by the ordinary route of travel will give him protection from arrest and from the service of civil and criminal process, he shall issue a summons, with a copy of the certificate attached, directing the witness to attend and testify in the court where the prosecution is pending, at a time and place specified in the summons.
If the witness, who is summoned as above provided, after being paid, or tendered payment, by some properly authorized person, the sum of ten (10) cents a mile for each mile traveled by the ordinary routes to and from the court where the prosecution is pending, and five (5) dollars for each day that he is required to travel and attend as a witness, fails without good cause to attend and testify as directed in the summons, he shall be punished in the manner provided for the punishment of any witness who disobeys a summons issued by the Court of First Instance in Puerto Rico.
History —May 13, 1934, No. 60, p. 416, § 1, eff. 90 days after May 13, 1934.