The new Penal Code comes into force from today, May 1st A code that includes a multitude of changes, speeding up the delivery of justice, the tightening of penalties for petty everyday crimes, but also heavy penalties for offenses such as setting fire to a forest or causing a traffic accident by violating a red light, serving part of the sentences in prison or with providing community service.

The Minister of Justice G. Floridis from the parliament floor yesterday marked the changes which the new law brings, among other things.

One of the characteristic examples mentioned by the minister is the penalty for homicide, for which the maximum was 5 years, while with the new law it reaches 10 years.

Also the forest fire due to negligence in the event that there are deaths, the provisions of the Code on SYRIZA, characterized it as a “minor misdemeanor” and the lower penalty started from 10 days.

The new Code provides that in these cases the minimum sentence is 10 years imprisonment, the maximum sentence is 20 years and a fine of 200,000 and confiscation of the property may be imposed.

“When we have an intentional forest fire and we have deaths, the provisions we have passed say that those sentences must lead to prison, because no probation is allowed, no commutation of the sentence is allowed, and the appeal has no suspensive effect. That is, prison. With the provisions that were in force, the provisions of the SYRIZA Code were a maximum of 15 years in prison and with the mandatory dismissal, he got out after the mandatory six years. And now, the sentences are life sentences and a life sentence is eligible to apply for parole after 25 years. So six years under SYRIZA and 25 years under ND”, said the Minister of Justice from the floor of the Parliament and added that “after several years, when the focus was on defending the rights of criminals, the time has come to also look towards on the side of the victims, on the rights that the victims also have and on the side of society which wants to live in a safe environment because its criminal system will create certainty for those who want to do illegal things that the risk of going to prison is serious ».

Domestic violence

According to the new provisions, the penalties are doubled in case the offense is committed before a minor, while the concept of family is expanded in terms of its members and includes, among others, permanent partners and their children.

In distinguished cases of domestic bodily harm (injuries from manual, sharp or other objects) a prison sentence of at least 2 years is provided, and in case the injury is done in front of a minor member of the family, the sentence is increased to at least 3 years.

A family member who causes another member slight physical injury or damage to his health is punished by imprisonment of at least one year, and if the damage is serious and the life of the victim is endangered, the sentence is increased by one year. If there is a serious physical or mental illness of the victim or serious mental damage occurs, then in this case imprisonment of up to 10 years is imposed.

At the same time, if a member of the family insults the dignity of another family member, with a particularly humiliating speech or act that goes back to his sexual life, he is punished with imprisonment of up to 2 years. The offense of verbal abuse also extends to the area of ​​domestic violence.

Violation of red

Strict are the penalties for drivers who violate it red light or fight on the coastal boulevards or make dangerous maneuvers or swerves with their motorcycles or enter an Emergency Lane (ELA), causing damage to other cars or serious bodily injury or loss of life. These drivers run the risk of being behind bars, and even face life in prison.

According to article 45 of the new Criminal Code, any driver who has consumed alcohol or used drugs, or has physical or mental exhaustion, or drives a vehicle on national or regional roads against the current or on footpaths, sidewalks or squares, or drives a vehicle that is technically unsafe or is unsafely loaded, or makes dangerous maneuvers, or participates in improvised races , or drives I.X. a car over the speed limit by at least 60 km (if it is a bus or truck, by at least 30 km) and if in a residential area it runs over the speed limit by 40 km or drives a car in the LEA or violates a red light, it is penalized with:

  1. Imprisonment of up to 3 years if it causes damage to another vehicle or foreign property (falls into a shop, kiosk, etc.)
  2. Imprisonment of at least 1 year if there is a danger to humans.
  3. Imprisonment of up to 10 years if it causes grievous bodily harm or significant damage to public facilities.
  4. Imprisonment of at least 10 years if death occurs, while if the death of a large number of people is caused, even life imprisonment can be imposed.