BRATISLAVA, March 9, (WEBNOVINY) – Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska will probably unveil a revision to the Penal Order and the Penal Code in a few days, as the working material needs to be harmonized with the revision to the Construction Act, forged by the Transport Ministry. Zitnanska told journalists following the regular Cabinet session Wednesday that the revision will be submitted after the three norms are finalized. “I have prepared the revision to the Penal Code and the Penal Order for interdepartmental review and will submit it in the offing, probably next week,” she stated.
The minister refused to say whether the revision would introduce material liability for public officials. “Public officials are subject to criminal liability already at present. A different question is whether the laws have been correctly set so that public officials can be prosecuted. Another issue is how the police, prosecutors and courts in Slovakia function, namely whether we are able to use these legal norms in practice,” she noted.
Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic emphasized that adoption of this legislation has been stipulated in the government’s program. “As far as I know, the Justice Minister and Deputy Prochazka have agreed to submit [the legislation] as a Cabinet draft bill,” he added. The blueprint is ready, according to him; it just has to be approved. Should a constitutional representative violate laws in exercising his/her mandate and cause property damage, he/she would be subject to property accountability, Lipsic explained. Such cases could be resolved in court.
SITA