President to Decide on Signing Penal Code Amendment within Constitutional Limit

Bratislava, 19 December (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini will decide whether to sign or veto the amendment to the Penal Code within the constitutional deadline, emphasising that he won't base his stance on the adopted law on the political wishes of either the coalition or opposition, TASR was told by the President's Office's communications department on Friday. "I want to assess the amendment to the Penal Code, which was approved last week by Parliament and is awaiting the president's decision, primarily from a professional point of view. I fully respect the right of every government to set criminal codes in line with its policies, programme and ideology. Therefore, in the case of every law, I examine first and foremost whether it poses a threat to the constitutionality, national interests or international obligations of the Slovak Republic," said the president, adding that his primary concern will always be the interests of the public. The communications department announced that Pellegrini had held a working meeting on Friday with representatives of several relevant institutions to discuss technical issues related to the Penal Code amendment. Parliament passed an amendment to the Penal Code via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. It reintroduces the three-strikes rule for petty theft, with repeat offenders becoming criminally liable in the case of repeated thefts. Offenders should be sent to prison for two years after committing a similar offence against property three times within one year. It also addresses the issue of cooperating defendants, whose testimonies may no longer be considered credible in court proceedings. am/df