时效的长短取决于为相关犯罪规定的最高处罚。不过，不论其长短如何，由于 《公约》所列犯罪的互不关联性，令人关切的是，实施犯罪的时间而非执法机 关发现犯罪的时间被视为时效的起点。
The length of the statute of limitation depends on the maximum penalty foreseen for the offence at stake. Regardless of their length, it was however a concern, due to the discrete nature of Convention offences, that the time of the commission, and not the time of the discovery of the offence by law enforcement authorities, is considered as the starting point for the statute of limitation.