Reception of unstamped instruments in evidence

(1) Upon the production of an instrument chargeable with any duty as evidence in any court of civil jurisdiction or before any arbitrator, notice shall be taken by the judge, magistrate or arbitrator of any omission or insufficiency of the stamps thereon, and if the instrument is one which may legally be stamped after the execution thereof, it may, on payment to the officer of the court whose duty it is to receive the instrument, or the arbitrator, of the amount of the unpaid duty, and the penalty payable on stamping the same, and a further penalty of five dollars, be received in evidence, saving all just exceptions on other grounds. (2) The officer or arbitrator receiving the duty and penalty shall give a receipt for it and shall communicate to the Commissioners the name or title of the cause or proceeding and of the party from whom he received the duty and penalty and the date and description of the instrument and shall pay over to the Commissioners the money received by him for the duty and (3) On production to the Commissioners of any instrument in respect of which any duty or penalty has been paid together with the receipt, the payment of the duty and penalty shall be denoted on the instrument. 23 (4) The decision of the judge, magistrate or arbitrator as to the necessity or sufficiency of stamp upon any document, or as to the amount payable for stamp duty thereupon, shall be final. (5) Except as mentioned in sub-section (1), an instrument in any part of Belize, or relating, wherever executed, to any property situate, or to any matter or thing done or to be done, in any part of Belize shall not, except in criminal proceedings, be given in evidence or be available for any purpose whatever, unless it is duly stamped.