The National Assembly Standing Committee held an extraordinary meeting due to errors in the Penal Code.

Through review, it was discovered that there were over 80 contents and provisions with errors, duplication, technical errors... These errors led to the inability to immediately apply the Penal Code according to the scheduled effective date (July 1, 2016).

On the morning of June 27, the National Assembly Standing Committee held an expanded meeting with representatives including heads or deputy heads of National Assembly delegations from 63 provinces and cities.

Also invited to attend this extraordinary meeting were the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Ministers of Justice and Public Security, the Chief of the Party Central Committee Office, the Director of the Office of the President, and the Director of the Government Office. In addition, there were representatives of the Central Internal Affairs Committee, the Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform, and the Vietnam Bar Federation.

The purpose of the meeting is for the Standing Committee to discuss and reach agreement with the heads of the National Assembly delegations on issues related to correcting errors in the Penal Code, which was passed by the 13th National Assembly in November 2015 and will take full effect from July 1.

Some sources said that at this meeting, the National Assembly Standing Committee reported to delegates the results of the review of the 2015 Penal Code, which found over 80 contents and provisions with errors, duplication, technical errors, etc. These errors led to the inability to immediately apply the Penal Code according to the set effective date.

Because it is under the authority of the National Assembly, the National Assembly Standing Committee proposed a solution of submitting to the delegates a draft resolution on postponing the effectiveness of the 2015 Penal Code. Along with that, it is postponing the effectiveness of two related laws, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Law on Organization of Criminal Investigation - both of which will take effect from July 1. Thus, the current laws will continue to be effective.

At the first session of the 14th National Assembly, in the second half of July, the Standing Committee will report on the request to add to the law and ordinance development program to amend the Penal Code. This law will be amended by the new National Assembly as soon as possible, and then, together with related laws, will take effect and be implemented synchronously, replacing current laws.

In the next one or two days, 63 delegations of National Assembly deputies from provinces and cities will meet to discuss and vote to pass this special resolution. This is special because this resolution was passed by the National Assembly not at a plenary session in Hanoi, but by meetings of each delegation. And especially because it is a resolution to overcome the weaknesses and errors of the National Assembly itself in the work of law making – specifically the 2015 Penal Code.

According to PLO