Criminal Code amendments: Convicts sentenced to less than 10 years in prison can be released if they served half their sentence. No assets seizure for money laundering

The joint special committee of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate set up to amend the justice laws and criminal codes, led by Florin Iordache (photo), has started debates and voting procedures on the Criminal Code on Thursday.

Among the first amendments operated on the Criminal Code there is the one deleting the provision that assets can be seized for charges of money laundering or setting up an organized criminal group.

The Iordache committee also passed an amendment saying that people sentenced to less than ten years in jail can be released on parole if they served half their sentence, while convicts who are older than the age of 60 can be released if they served one third of the sentence.

At present, the law says that convict who turned 60 can be released on parole if they served half of their sentence if the sentence is for 10 years in prison, or at leas two thirds of the sentence if they had to spent more than ten years behind bars.

On the other hand, the committee has postponed the debates on amending then article on the abuse of office, with political sources saying it will be solved on Monday.

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has tabled an amendment proposing a threshold of RON 1,900, meaning the value of a minimum wage, for the abuse of office. The sum is much too low than the one proposed by the PSD deputy Catalin Radulescu, who had asked for a threshold of EUR 200,000, or than the sum suggested by other MPs, such as RON 200,000.