Yearbook 2002
San Marino. Like other small tax havens, San Marino was subjected to ever-increasing pressure to ease banking secrecy and assist in the fight against tax evasion and other financial crime. According to Countryaah website, national day of San Marino is every September 3. The OECD identified the country as one of seven countries that were extremely reluctant to contribute bank account information and threatened with penalties from 2003.
State ordering. – According to the statute, the supreme constituent authority of the republic resides in the Arengo of the fathers of the family, who in 1906 claimed their right by removing the legislative power from the life council and delegating it to an assembly (Great and General Council) of LX councilors, no longer divided into classes, re-eligible every six years with the proportional system by universal suffrage. Executive power is entrusted to a State Congress made up of nine members of the council and two regent captains also elected from among the councilors every six months; in the middle of March and in the middle of September. These assume their office on April 1 and October 1 of each year with great solemnity, called the feast of the entrance. They are the only heads of state, they preside over the sessions of the Council of LX and Congress, they propose laws, decrees, ordinances, represent the republic in relations with other states and supervise the good performance of the government. They are assisted by two secretaries: one for Internal Affairs, the other for Foreign Affairs and Finance, and in public documents they are represented by two mayors. Judicial power is exercised by a foreign lawyer, resident in San Marino, called the Law Commissioner; who judges in civil on the basis of books II and IV of the statute, and in criminal on the basis of a code in force since 1859. Judicial power is exercised by a foreign lawyer, resident in San Marino, called the Law Commissioner; who judges in civil on the basis of books II and IV of the statute, and in criminal on the basis of a code in force since 1859. Judicial power is exercised by a foreign lawyer, resident in San Marino, called the Law Commissioner; who judges in civil on the basis of books II and IV of the statute, and in criminal on the basis of a code in force since 1859.
Said commissioner for criminal cases is assisted (again by means of San Marino laws) by a foreign lawyer residing in the kingdom and elected by the government of the republic. Another foreign lawyer, also resident in the kingdom, judges on appeal both in civil and criminal cases. The third instance judgment is then entrusted to the Council of XII, a court contemplated by the statute and elected from among the members of the council by a third every two years. There are two chancelleries of the commissarial court: one for the civil and the other for the criminal. A special law regulates the criminal record. There is a conciliator judge for small cases and minor disputes. There is no death penalty, which was abolished in 1847. There is an organic law for white-collar workers and salaried people in general, based largely on similar laws in the kingdom.
The republic has the title of “Serenissima”; the state holiday is September 3 (San Marino); the flag is made up of two horizontal bands, white and blue; the coat of arms is a blue shield with three green mountains surmounted by towers and ostrich “feathers”, surrounded by a laurel branch and an oak branch joined by the words “Libertas”; it had and has its own currency, with bimetallism (silver and gold); since 1877 it has its own stamps.
The government of San Marino confers honorary distinctions in medals of merit of three degrees: gold, silver, bronze (with blue and red ribbon); and equestrian titles (to foreigners meritorious for charitable works and to know) of the Order of San Marino of five degrees, and of the order of co-patron S. Agata of four degrees. He also sometimes grants honorary citizenship to distinguished men in politics, science, literature and the arts.
For international relations, the republic has had a friendship and good neighborly agreement with the kingdom of Italy since 1862, renewed in 1872 and 1897, and increased with additional articles in the following years. Since 1874 there has been an Italian consulate in San Marino, which in turn holds a consul general in Rome and other consuls in the main cities of the kingdom, an embassy to the Vatican, and business agents to various governments of Europe. and of America, with which it has protective laws for emigrants and extradition treaties for common crimes and draft evaders.
To better carry out civil and economic life between San Marino and the Kingdom of Italy, there are postal, telegraphic and telephone conventions.
As far as military regulations are concerned, the republic has a company of 60 citizen soldiers, who wear uniforms in parade services together with the band concert, which is part of it; it has a noble guard of about 50 citizens who serves as an escort to the regents and wears the uniform during functions and homeland feasts; a citizen guard assigned to forts and salvos on solemn days; a recently established republican militia, of about 40 citizens, in uniform and in permanent function, for the security of the state. All these city militias are under the orders of San Marino officers employed by two general commanders.
