Luanda, ANGOLA, June 12 - The deputies to the National Assembly (parliament) unanimously agreed, last Thursday, with the articles of the Draft Code of Criminal Procedure, concerning the conversion of fine sentences into community work. ,

Such consensus happened in the ambit of the discussion and approval, in general terms, of the Draft Code of Criminal Procedure, a discussion which started in parliament last year.

 

According to the diploma, the conversion of the fine into community work can only be carried out when it constitutes the main penalty imposed on the defendant by the court.

 

It is paid after the final ruling of the court that applied it and which include the mention of the exact amount fixed therein.

 

The convict who is not in a position to pay the fine at once may request, within the period established by law, payment in instalments, indicating the reasons that justify the request made by then defendant.

 

The defendant may, in the same circumstances, subsequently request a change in the number and terms of benefits, provided that the change does not exceed the minimum limits imposed by the Penal Code.

 

The new law will stipulate that the defendant can request, while the fine payment period is still valid, the replacement of this penalty for community work.

 

In this regard, the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Mota Liz, stated that the conversion of the fine into community work applies to minor crimes (sentences of up to a maximum of two years (libel, moral harassment, petty theft, etc).

 

He went on to say that, in these cases, the judge of the case can avoid sending someone to prison and, instead,  the defendant can be sentenced to pay a fine that can be converted into provision of community service.

 

“The fine can be converted into community work. However, for the most serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder or embezzlement, the penalty continues to be deprivation of liberty” he explained.

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