site.btaPenal Code Amendment Bills Consolidated into One

On Wednesday, the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs adopted at second reading a consolidated bill combining drafts aimed at amending and supplementing the Penal Code that were approved in plenary at first reading. One of the initial bills was submitted by GERB-UDF, one by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning, and two by the Council of Ministers.

The amendments provide for a substantial increase in penalties for all sexual offences against children — both under the age of 14 and under 18 — as set out in the Penal Code. Under the proposal, distributing pornographic material would be punishable by imprisonment of one to five years, instead of the current penalty of up to one year, and the fine of BGN 1,000 to 3,000 would be raised to BGN 1,000 to 10,000. The changes also envisage stronger protection for under-18s, with the limitation period for prosecuting an offence against a child beginning to run from the date the victim reaches adulthood.

Other proposed provisions introduce a criminal offence for dumping large quantities of household, construction or industrial waste at unauthorized sites, where this creates danger to human health and life.

There are also draft amendments aimed to address inconsistencies and shortcomings in the criminal legislation identified by the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria and to fill a legal gap regarding the confiscation of a motor vehicle used in the commission of a crime when the vehicle is not owned by the perpetrator. In such cases, it is proposed that the offender should be ordered to pay the vehicle’s equivalent value.