LAWYERS SAY PENAL REFORM MUST CONTINUE

OPATIJA, Dec 5 (Hina) - Participants in the 16th seminar of the Croatian Association of Criminal Science and Practice assessed on Friday that the penal reform cannot be stopped and that the new parliament will have to amend the Penal Code, especially sections referring to white-collar crime. #L# Changing the Penal Code adopted in 1998 is necessary because in a system with private property and market economy white-collar crime cannot effectively be punished on the basis of provisions adopted in a system of public property and economy by agreement, participants concluded. The annual seminar held in the northern Adriatic resort of Opatija began yesterday. This year it is held under the title "The Proposed Croatian Penal Code, Old Dilemmas, New Disputes and Public Support". To keep the seminar from being remembered solely for a debate "on the law that doesn't exist", namely amendments to the Penal Code adopted in July but recently rescinded by the Constitutional Court, a number of participants said the new parliament should discuss the rescinded law as a bill of amendments to the Penal Code. (hina) ha sb