The BiH Council of Ministers at a special session adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The aim is to harmonize the criminal legislation in BiH with international law and comply with the recommendations of GRECO, MONEYVAL Committee and FATF, the international body whose task is to monitor the measures for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, said the Council of Ministers.
The proposed law executes the delineation of competences in terms of certain criminal offenses contained in the Criminal Code of BiH, the entities and Brčko District in order to eliminate possible conflict of jurisdiction between the police and judicial authorities.
Amendments to the law, among other things, provide for more stringent penalties for criminal offenses of human trafficking and the organized international trafficking in human beings is listed as a separate offense, and the law introduces the crime of “forced disappearance”.
At the same time, it defines the duty of forfeiture of property gained by criminal acts and from the persons to whom it was transferred as well, and it regulates in detail all acts and omissions that occur during the performance of official duty.
Amendments to the law have been considered and accepted by the team for monitoring and evaluating the application of the criminal code, which was composed of legal experts on criminal law across the country.
The Ministry of Justice shall forward the draft law to the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina for adoption on an expedited basis.
(Source: Fena)
