AMENDMENT TO THE CRIMINAL CODE

(Act No. 171/2003 Coll., amending and supplementing the Act No. 140/1961 Coll., the Criminal Code as amended and on amendment and supplement of certain acts)

The amendment to the Act No. 140/1961 Coll., the Criminal Code, as amended, implements mainly the principle ``three-times and stop'', under which the court obligatorily imposes a life imprisonment by the third sentence for one of the violent crimes stated in Section 43, para. 1 (e.g. the crime of terrorism), provided that other legal conditions are met as well.

In connection with the fight against corruption, the minimum sentence for a passive corruption of persons in a public function has been increased so that the Criminal Code should not enable to impose a conditional imprisonment.

Also, provisions concerning certain crimes, e.g. murder, shall be tightened. The length of imprisonment shall be increased in case of legalisation of incomes from criminal activities. The amendment includes also provisions prohibiting the cloning of human beings.

This amendment shall come into force on September 1, 2003.