ZAGREB, June 16 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament began this week's sitting with a debate on a final bill of amendments to the Penal Code which envisages, among other things, stricter penalties and the introduction of life-time
imprisonment.
ZAGREB, June 16 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament began this week's
sitting with a debate on a final bill of amendments to the Penal Code
which envisages, among other things, stricter penalties and the
introduction of life-time imprisonment. #L#
The main objective of the bill is to disburden the justice system
which in the future should prosecute "really grave crimes," said
Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic.
Changes should expedite court proceedings and create a more
efficient judiciary, she said, stressing penal law must not become
an instrument of state terror but must not be too lenient either.
Besides making penalties stricter, the bill envisages extending
general statutes of limitations.
The government has scrapped incriminating the protection of the
institution of the President of the Republic, but will treat
possession of small quantities of narcotics for personal use as an
offence.
Anticevic-Marinovic said the justice system will thus not exhaust
itself on addicts and keep police records on youth but give courts
room to focus on efficiently punishing drug dealers.
The Penal Code changes also envisage stricter penalties for the
non-payment of salaries within the time prescribed by law.
The changes envisage considerably stricter punishment for
cybercrime in line with the International Cybercrime Convention.
Also, judges and justice officials could be prosecuted for
violating the Law on Criminal Procedure. Anticevic-Marinovic
dismissed claims this provision could result in the harassment of
justice officials, saying it had been the absence of precisely
defined boundaries of justice officials' responsibility that
enabled the harassment of judges.
(hina) ha