JusMin Predoiu says law increasing penalties for pedophiles challenged as certain crimes time-barred

ustice Minister Catalin Predoiu said on Thursday evening that the law increasing penalties for sexual assault on minors was not challenged in its entirety with the Constitutional Court, but certain crimes in the law got statutes of limitation, which would make cases vulnerable.

"We definitely want to fight against this phenomenon with the same might with which we want to fight organised crime. But precisely because of that we need a law that will stand for a long time, including tested by exceptions raised by lawyers in cases at the Constitutional Court. (...) The law has not been opposed by the government in its entirety; on the contrary, the government's point of view was favourably expressed in Parliament, drafted by the Ministry of Justice is that however there is a possible fault until the Constitutional Court rules, in that certain offences concerning the freedom and integrity of sexual life have been left time-barred and only three of them have been declared in the draft not subject to time-bar, which would be likely to make certain cases vulnerable by constitutionality objections being raised once the law enters into force, which in turn would indirectly lead to negative discrimination between the victims, but the victims should be equally protected," Predoiu told Realitatea Plus private broadcaster.

Predoiu added that the challenge does not affect in any way pending cases.

"Those who are already accused of such misdeeds enjoy the more favorable criminal law, since the law challenged is tougher. So, we do not affect these cases in any way by the check we have requested the Constitutional Court to perform; we secure for the long run a law and important cases. That is behind this will to test the law with the Constitutional Court," said Predoiu.