ZAGREB, May 17 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted by a majority vote amendments to the Law on Criminal Proceedings and amendments the government proposed earlier today which aim at increasing the pace and efficiency of
criminal proceedings.
ZAGREB, May 17 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted by
a majority vote amendments to the Law on Criminal Proceedings and
amendments the government proposed earlier today which aim at
increasing the pace and efficiency of criminal proceedings.#L#
The government's amendments were supported by 69 representatives,
mostly from the ruling coalition, while 20 MPs, mostly from the
strongest Opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ),
voted against.
Under the amendments, presented by Justice Minister Ingrid
Anticevic Marinovic, the court can punish parties which obviously
stall criminal proceedings or abuse procedural rights in any other
way by issuing a decision stripping them of those rights. In this
case, the appeal will not postpone the execution of the verdict.
In that case, the president of the court is authorised to appoint an
attorney to the defendant at the proposal of an investigating judge
or the president of the panel of judges.
Also adopted was an amendment under which the court, by ruling house
arrest, can order, with the consent of the detained person, the
setting up of an exterior electronic or video surveillance system
during the period of house arrest at all entrances of the apartment
or other premises the person is detained in.
A regulation which protects children and minors against whom a
crime has been committed was also amended. Under the amendment, a
minor who considering his age and mental state is not able to
understand the meaning of the law, does not have to testify in
court. However, evidence can be presented in court by experts,
family members or other persons the minor was in contact with.
Parliament did not adopt some amendments proposed by some MPs, for
example by Jadranka Kosor of the HDZ who said the fine set for the
contempt of court amounting to 20,000 kuna (EUR2,700) is too high.
Kosor proposed that the fine be 10,000 kuna (EUR1,350).
Kosor's amendment against the extension of the detention period to
three years was not adopted either. Kosor said that a regulation on
extending detention represented a retroactive, unconstitutional
implementation of the law, because detention was being
subsequently extended.
Justice Minister Anticevic Marinovic said this did not represent a
retroactive implementation of the law but was a measure which would
ensure the appearance of the defendant in court.
(hina) it sb