Tariceanu: It is necessary to change philosophy of Criminal Code; greater emphasis on recouping damage

Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu considers that it is necessary to change the philosophy of the Criminal Code with a greater emphasis on recouping the damage, because "it is not the punitive policy that solves the problems." 

"Changing the Criminal Code will bring controversy at anytime and it is good that there are controversies, it is good that there are different points of view because we live in a democratic society. But given the experience gained in the operation of the Codes, the Constitutional Court's numerous decisions on the admission of the exceptions of unconstitutionality of a large number of articles in the Criminal Code (...), European practices in the field, ECHR decisions, the Venice Commission's recommendations, these changes have proven to be absolutely necessary and certainly that by the vote of the majority it will be decided which form they will be adopted in. My conviction is that there is a need to change the philosophy of the Criminal Code now, in the sense that we place greater emphasis on the recovery of damage, because simply imprisoning those who have been found guilty by justice does not solve the problem completely. We want the amounts, possibly considered to be damage to the state budget, to be recouped, and the emphasis, as I have told you, will be placed to a greater extent on this element," Tariceanu said on Tuesday, after the meeting of the Joint Permanent Bureaus of the two chambers of Parliament. 

He pleaded for a better, more accurate, more precise definition of the provisions of the Criminal Code. 

"It is not the punitive policy that resolves the problems but a better, more accurate and more precise definition of the provisions of the Criminal Code. These will help in the future to eliminate the abuses and excesses found in recent years in justice, due to which many innocent people have been sentenced. We want a much better, clearer definition of these provisions of the Criminal Code. I cannot say that I am happy or dissatisfied, because the Juridical Committee is the one made up of jurists, who have done this important work," added Tariceanu. 

On Tuesday's agenda of the Senate's plenum there is the legislative proposal to amend the Criminal Code, a legislative document that received a favorable report on Monday from the Special Parliamentary Committee on the laws of Justice.