183. Court of inquiry as to illegal absence under section 106. — (1) A court of inquiry under section 106 shall, when assembled, require the attendance of such witnesses as it think sufficient to prove the absence and other facts specified as matters of inquiry in that section.
(2) It shall take down the evidence given it in writing and at the end of the proceedings shall make a declaration of the conclusions at which it has arrived in respect of the facts it is assembled to inquire into.
(3) The commanding officer of the absent person shall enter in the court-martial book of the corps of department a record of the declaration of the court, and the original proceedings will be destroyed.
(4) The court of inquiry shall examine all witnesses who may be desirous of coming forward on behalf or the absentee, and shall put such questions to them as may be desirable for testing the truth or accuracy of any evidence they have given and otherwise for eliciting the truth, and the court in making its declaration shall give due weight to the evidence of all such witnesses.
(5) An oath or affirmation shall be administered to the witnesses in the manner specified in rule 181.
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