Many new points in the 2015 Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code

Panorama of the conference at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Phuong Thao

On the morning of April 17, the Central Internal Affairs Committee held an online conference with 62 connecting points nationwide to disseminate the 2015 Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code to officials and civil servants of the Provincial and Municipal Party Committees' Internal Affairs Committees and leaders of district, city and town Party Committees. Comrade Vo Van Dung - Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Head of the Central Internal Affairs Committee chaired the conference.

At Nghe An bridge, comrade Nguyen Van Thong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee chaired the conference.

The 2015 Penal Code is built on the basis of inheriting and developing at a higher level the principles and institutions of criminal law of our country from 1945 to present, especially the 1999 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2009) as well as lessons learned from the practical struggle to prevent and combat crime over the past decades of the process of building and defending the Fatherland.

The objective of building the 2015 Penal Code is to build a code of law suitable for the new development stage of the country, concretize the 2013 Constitution, and further promote the role of the Penal Code as a sharp and effective legal tool in the fight against crime.

The 2015 Penal Code has many new points compared to the 1999 Penal Code. Illustrative photo.

The 2015 Penal Code consists of 26 chapters and 426 articles (an increase of 2 chapters and 72 articles compared to the 1999 Penal Code). In general, the 2015 Penal Code has many innovative contents, covering both general provisions and specific crimes, including breakthrough contents in the spirit of innovation in thinking and awareness of criminal policy, on the issue of criminal punishment, demonstrating the spirit of proactive prevention and resolute fight against crime, through punishment to deter, educate and prevent.

The 2015 Criminal Procedure Code has a structure of 9 parts, 36 chapters, and 510 articles, overcoming many problems and shortcomings of the 2003 Criminal Procedure Code that affected the effectiveness and efficiency of the fight against crime.

Leaders of the Ministry of Justice disseminate new points in the 2015 Penal Code. Photo: Phuong Thao

Some basic new contents of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code include perfecting the basic principles of criminal proceedings; specifying the tasks and powers of each procedural agency, creating conditions for agencies to properly perform their statutory responsibilities; distinguishing administrative authority from judicial authority, increasing the rights and responsibilities of investigators, prosecutors, and judges; innovating the system of proof and evidence; ensuring the right to defense of arrested, detained, accused, and defendants;...

The 2015 Criminal Procedure Code increases the power and responsibility of judges in court. Photo: Archive

At the conference, the delegates heard all the basic new points of the 2015 Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, on that basis, closely followed and effectively implemented the contents of the code into real life, meeting the requirements of the new development stage of the country.