Criminal Code
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The debate on the shortened process for the Criminal Code amendments ended yesterday. The procedure was approved by Parliament, where the ruling coalition has a majority.
Debate on the actual content is scheduled to start today, Friday; and the vote might happen as soon as Wednesday, Jan 31. Prime minister Fico said the government would consider suggestions from the opposition for changes to the bill: “As long as they have logic and rational and don't interfere with the system.“
Prime Minister Fico said he was happy Parliament would now discuss the amendments to the Criminal Code.
“The opposition cannot set the pace for us. We are the government, we have a government coalition with the majority, and we have to set the pace,” he said.
The current bill to amend the Criminal Code would lower sentences for serious crimes, and abolish the special prosecutor‘s office which specializes in investigating and prosecuting corruption and organized crime.
The coalition has received suggestions from the European Commission to change the amendment, which will be considered. But they won't change anything essential about the changes to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Law, and the motion to scrap the Special Prosecutor's Office, said Fico.
Justice minister Boris Susko said suggestions from the opposition would also be considered.
“We are ready to listen to proposals from the opposition. As long as they have logic and reason and do not disrupt the system, which is supposed to be the humanization of criminal law, and the harmonization of our criminal rates,” he said.
Richard Sulik, head of the SaS opposition party, said on Thursday: “It will be a huge amnesty, probably the biggest in the history of Slovakia.” He predicted that the vast majority of burglaries and car thefts will not be prosecuted. “Slovakia will become an eldorado for criminals,“ he said.
