The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Public Order met today, Wednesday, 2 February 2022, and discussed the following issues:
1. 1.077-2019)
The Committee continued the discussion of the above bill, the purpose of which is to enact legislation for the establishment and operation of an Independent Anti-Corruption Authority, which will have as its main responsibility to take the necessary initiatives and actions to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of the actions of public, wider public and private sector services in preventing and combating acts of corruption. In the context of the discussion, the Committee examined, inter alia, the provisions of the bill regarding the composition of the advisory council, which proposes candidates for appointment as members of the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority, as well as the procedure for their appointment, and decided to submit the bill in question for adoption at the plenary session of the body dated 10 February 2022.
2. a. The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution Act, 2019
(File No. 23.01.060.129-2019)
b. The Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2019.
(File No. 23.01.060.130-2019)
c. The Courts (Amendment) Act, 2019.
(File No. 23.01.060.131-2019)
The Committee continued its discussion of the above bills, the purpose of which is to reform and modernize the structure and operation of the courts by reopening the two highest judicial bodies under the Constitution, the Supreme Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, and granting them additional third degree jurisdiction in certain cases, as well as establishing and operating a Court of Appeal to hear appeals. The representative of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order informed that revised texts of the bills would be submitted and would be considered by the Commission once they were before it.
3. a. The Commercial Court and Maritime Court Act of 2019
(Fak. No. 23.01.060.108-2019)
b. The Courts (Amendment) Act, 2019.
(No. Fak. 23.01.060.060.109-2019)
The Committee continued discussion of the above bills, the purpose of which is, first, to establish a Commercial Court and a Maritime Court for the adjudication of commercial disputes and maritime cases, respectively, and, second, to amend the Courts of Justice Act to make the provisions relating to the powers of the High Court and the District Courts consistent with the proposed provisions of the first bill.
In the course of the discussion, the Commission was mainly concerned with the provision of the possibility of using the English language before these courts.
Finally, the Commission requested the Ministry of Justice and Public Order to submit a revised text, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the Commission.
4. The Third Amendment to the Constitution Act, 2022
(File No. 23.01.063.023-2022)
The Commission began discussion of the above bill, the purpose of which is to amend the Constitution to provide for the use of the English language before a court of a particular jurisdiction when the interests of justice are served.
In the course of the debate, the committee was primarily concerned with the need to amend the Constitution to achieve its purposes, and with the bill's proposed imposition of a special majority for the enactment of a law regulating the possibility of the use of the English language. Finally, the Commission asked the Ministry of Justice and Public Order to submit a revised text, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the Commission.
5. The Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering (Amendment) (No. 4) Act, 2021
(Fak. No. 23.01.062.228-2021)
The Commission began discussion of the above bill, the purpose of which is to amend the basic law:
a. For effective implementation:
i. certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 on the mutual recognition of freezing and confiscation orders;
ii. certain provisions of Part Three, Title XI of the Agreement on Trade and Cooperation between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, concerning freezing and confiscation;
iii. Articles 7(2)(c) and 19 of the Council of Europe Convention on the Suppression, Investigation, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and the Financing of Terrorism, which has been ratified by a ratification act;
b. to harmonize with the act of the European Union entitled "Directive (EU) 2019/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 laying down rules to facilitate the use of financial and other information for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of certain criminal offences and repealing Council Decision 2000/642/JHA"; and
c. to amend existing articles of the basic law as deemed necessary by their practical application.
The Committee will continue its consideration of the bill at its next meeting at the beginning of the article-by-article debate.
6. The Criminal Code (Amendment) (No. 5) Act, 2021
(Bill proposed by Ms. Anita Demetriou, Speaker of the House of Representatives)
(No. Fak. 23.02.062.160-2021)
The Committee began, in the presence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Anita Demetriou, the article-by-article discussion of the above proposal for a law, the purpose of which is to amend the Criminal Code to establish the offense of femicide, which would carry a sentence of life imprisonment.
In the context of the discussion of the revised text of the legislative proposal, the Commission highlighted the need to make the offence of femicide widely recognised and subject to stricter legislative treatment. The proposer of the bill, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Anita Demetriou, informed the Committee that she would submit a revised text of the bill.
The discussion on this issue will be continued at the next meeting of the Committee.
7. The Protection of Natural Persons against Processing of Personal Data and Free Circulation of Personal Data (Amendment) Act, 2021
(File No. 23.01.062.219-2021)
8. The Law on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data by Competent Authorities for the Purposes of the Prevention, Investigation, Detection or Prosecution of Criminal Offences or the Execution of Criminal Sanctions and for the Free Circulation of Such Data (Amendment) Law of 2021.
(File No. 23.01.062.220-2021)
The Committee decided to submit the bills under consideration to the plenary session of the House for a vote, after the prescribed cycle of consultation on amendments submitted by members and non-members of the Committee at a forthcoming meeting of the Committee.
(NΓ)
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