NA hears report on draft revised Penal Code
Under the authorization of the Prime Minister, Member of the Politburo and Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang presented a report on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Penal Code at the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly, on the morning of May 20, in Hanoi.
Minister Luong Tam Quang noted that the 2015 Penal Code, adopted by the 13th National Assembly at its 10th session on November 27, 2015 (and subsequently amended and supplemented in 2017), has been in effect since January 1, 2018.
He emphasized that the 2015 Penal Code has made significant contributions to state governance, social management, crime prevention and control, the safeguarding of political security, social order and safety and the protection of the interests of the State, organizations, and citizens.
However, a number of limitations and inadequacies have been recognized in the implementation of the law in the past eight years. For example, several provisions related to the death penalty are no longer relevant to the current socio-economic context and the reality of crime prevention and combat.
Minister Luong Tam Quang further underscored that certain regulations on imprisonment penalties and monetary fines have proven to be insufficiently deterrent, especially while the criminal situation with numerous cases of illicit drug trafficking, environmental offences, trade and production of counterfeit goods, and violations of food hygiene and safety regulations becomes increasingly complex, causing widespread public concern.
Therefore, the amendment and supplementation to some provisions of the 2015 Penal Code is an urgent and objective necessity.
He affirmed that the legislative revision focuses merely on the inadequacies and limitations in the law that have already been identified by competent authorities, and require urgent amendment to meet the need for the reality of current crime prevention and control.
The Government has proposed that the National Assembly scrutinize and adopt the draft law with four articles, according to the shortened law-making procedures of the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly.
