Republic

Alexander Lukashenko: liberal laws should not encourage corrupt practices

Liberalisation and optimisation of criminal and criminal procedural legislation should not affect the quality of judicial proceedings and should not create favourable conditions for corrupt practices. The statement was made by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a government session dedicated to the improvement of criminal and criminal procedural legislation on February 6. Alexander Lukashenko remarked, proposals for the liberalisation and optimisation of criminal and criminal procedural legislation taking into account law application practices had been voiced at sessions involving justice and law enforcement officers the previous year. “When we enforced the new legislation, we agreed that we will monitor the situation and will regularly revise these issues, as they are very important and sensitive ones for our citizens,” underscored the President. The Prosecutor-General's Office has worked out a relevant bill, however, the President remarked, interested state agencies are in disagreement about some provisions of the bill. In particular, the proposal of the Prosecutor General about the possibility of hearing some criminal cases without the public prosecutor. “An objective question: will it affect the quality of legal proceedings as a whole and will the reliable protection of interests of citizens and the state be ensured?” asked Alexander Lukashenko. “Was our justice system worse before the norms are adopted? Were interests of citizens and the state poorly protected?” The President of Belarus demanded that when decisions on these issues are made, all those involved should be guided only by the statehood approach. The head of state also remarked that another juridical novelty, the so-called “plea bargain”, had caused arguments. A person is sentenced to paying out a certain money compensation for the first grave crime. The legal instrument is used abroad, but has not been used in Belarus. “The idea is worth considering. However, it is important to determine what crime categories may be entitled to using this instrument. On the one hand, the principle of unavoidable punishment must not be diminished, on the other hand, conditions for corrupt practices among those in charge of remission decisions must not be created,” added Alexander Lukashenko.

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