'National penalties - maximum penalty' in document 'Montenegro - Criminal Code'

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RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION

GENERAL PART

TITLE THREE
PUNISHMENT

1. Purpose of Punishment, Types of Punishment and Requirements for their Imposition

Forty-year Prison Term

Article 35
(1) A forty-year prison term may be prescribed for the most serious criminal offences provided that it is not prescribed as the only punishment for a specific criminal offence.

(2) A forty-year prison term may not be imposed on the following :

1) a person who at the time of commission of a criminal offence is not 21 ;
2) a person who at the time of commission of a criminal offence is of significantly reduced mental capacity (Art.14, para. 2) ;

3) a person who attempted to commit a criminal offence.

Prison Term

Article 36
(1) A prison term may not be shorter than thirty days or longer than twenty years.

(2) The prison term referred to in para. 1 hereof shall be imposed in full years and months, and terms up to six months shall be imposed also in days.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-ONE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST JUDICIARY

Giving a False testimony

Article 389
(1) A witness, expert witness, translator or interpreter who gives a false testimony before the court in a disciplinary, misdemeanor or administrative procedure or any other procedure laid down by law shall be punished by a prison term up to three years.

(2) The punishment under para. 1 above shall also apply to a party who in the course of presentation of evidence by hearing parties in a court or administrative procedure gives a false testimony, when such a testimony serves as grounds for the decision passed in that procedure.

(3) Where a false testimony was given in criminal proceedings, the perpetrator giving such a testimony shall be punished by a prison term from three months to five years.

(4) Where the offence under para. 3 above resulted in particularly grave consequences for the accused, the perpetrator shall be punished by a prison term from one year to eight years.

(5) If the perpetrator revokes the false testimony of his own free will before the final decision is passed, he shall be punished by a fine or a prison term up to three months, and punishment may also be remitted.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-ONE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST JUDICIARY

Interference in Production of Evidence

Article 390
(1) Anyone who gives, offers or promises a gift or other undue advantage to a witness or expert witness or other participant before a court or other state authority or who uses force or threat against him in order for that person to affect the outcome of the proceedings by giving false testimony or by refraining from giving a testimony shall be punished by a prison term from six months to five years.

(2) Anyone who with the intention to prevent or impede production of evidence conceals, destroys, damages, or makes unusable in whole or in part someone else's document or other objects which serve as evidence shall be punished by a fine or a prison term up to one year.

(3) The punishment under para. 2 above shall also apply to anyone who with the intention referred to in para. 2 hereof removes, destroys, damages, moves or relocates a borderline stone, land registry mark or any other mark indicating ownership of real estate or right to the use of water, or a person who fraudulently places such a mark with the same intention.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY -TWO
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST PUBLIC LAW AND ORDER

Establishment of Criminal Organization

Article 401a

(2) A member of the criminal organization referred to in para. 1 above shall be punished by a prison term from one to eight years.

(3) The mastermind of a criminal organization who prevents the commission of criminal offences for the purpose of which the organization was created by revealing the criminal organization or otherwise shall be punished by a prison term from three months to three years and his punishment may also be remitted.

(4) A member of a criminal organization who reveals the criminal organization or contributes to it being revealed shall be punished by a prison term up to one year, and his punishment may also be remitted.

(5) The mastermind and a member of a criminal organization who commits a criminal offence as a member of criminal organization shall be punished for that offence as well.

(6) The criminal organization referred to in para. 1 above shall be considered to include the organization composed of three or more persons which has as its objective the commission of criminal offences punishable by law by a four year prison term or a more severe punishment for the purpose of obtaining unlawful gain or power, provided that minimum three of the following conditions are met :

1) that each member of the criminal organization had a predefined or obviously definable task or role ;
2) that activities of the criminal organization have been planned for a longer period of time or for an unlimited period ;
3) that the activities of the criminal organization are based on the application of certain rules of internal control and member discipline ;
4) that the activities of the criminal organization are planned and implemented in international proportions ;
5) that activities of the criminal organization include the application of violence or intimidation or that there is readiness for their application ;
6) that activities of the criminal organization include the use of economic or business structures ;
7) that activities of the criminal organization include laundering of money or illicit proceeds or
8) that there is an influence of the criminal organization or its part upon the political authority, media, legislative, executive or judicial powers or other important social or economic factors.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FOUR
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST OFFICIAL DUTY

Passive Bribery

Article 423
(1) A public official who directly or indirectly solicits or receives a gift or any other undue advantage, or who accepts a promise of a gift or any undue advantage for himself or for another person for agreeing to perform an official or other act which he must not perform, or not to perform an official or other act which he must perform shall be punished by a prison term from two to twelve years.

(2) A public official who directly or indirectly solicits or receives a gift or any other undue advantage, or who accepts a promise of gift or any undue advantage for himself or another person for agreeing to perform an official or other act which he must perform, or not to perform an official or other act which he must not perform shall be punished by a prison term from two to eight years.

(3) A public official who commits the offences under paras 1 or 2 above in relation to detection of a criminal offence, initiating or conducting of criminal proceedings, pronouncing or enforcing of a criminal sanction shall be punished by a prison term from three to fifteen years.

(4) A public official who after performing an official or other act or after refraining from performing an official or other act as envisaged by paras 1, 2 and 3 above, or in conjunction with such acts, solicits or receives a gift or other undue advantage shall be punished by a prison term from three months to three years.

(5) A foreign public official who commits any of the offences under paras 1, 2, 3 and 4 above shall be punished by the punishment prescribed for that offence.

(6) Where a responsible officer or another person in an institution or other noncommercial entity commits any of the offences under paras 1, 2 and 4 above shall be punished by the punishment prescribed for that offence.

(7) The gift received or any other undue advantage gained shall be confiscated.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FOUR
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST OFFICIAL DUTY

Active Bribery
Article 424

(1) Anyone who gives, offers or promises a gift or other undue advantage for himself or for another person to a public official or another person for agreeing to perform and official or other act he must not perform or not to perform an official or other act he must perform or anyone who intercedes in bribing a public official in the manner described above shall be punished by a prison term from six months to five years.

(2) Anyone who gives, offers or promises a gift or other undue advantage to a public official or other person for agreeing to perform an official or other act he must perform or not to perform an official or other act he must not perform, or anyone who intercedes in bribing a public official in the manner described above shall be punished by a prison term up to three years.

(3) The provisions of paras 1 and 2 above shall also apply where a gift or other undue advantage was given, offered or promised to a foreign public official.

(4) The punishment may be remitted where a perpetrator of the offences under paras 1, 2 and 3 above had reported the criminal offence before he learned that the crime had been detected.

(5) The provisions of paras 1, 2 and 4 above shall also apply when a gift or other undue advantage was given, offered or promised to a a responsible officer or other person in an institution or another non-commercial entity.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Genocide

Article 426
Anyone who with the intention of partly or completely destroying a national, ethnic, racial or religious group issues orders for the commission of murders or infliction of serious bodily injuries or serious destruction of physical or mental health of group members or placement of the group under such living conditions as to bring about complete or partial extermination of the group, or taking of measures with which to prevent reproduction among group members, or forced displacement of children into another group, or who commits any of the said crimes with the same intention shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than eight years or by a forty year prison term.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Crimes against humanity

Article 427
Anyone who by breaching the rules of international law, within the limits of a wider or systematic attack against civilian population, orders any of the following : murders ; placing the population or its part under such living conditions as to bring about their complete or partial extermination ; enslavement ; forced displacement ; torture ; rape ; coercion to prostitution ; coercion to pregnancy or sterilization with a view to changing the ethnic composition of the population ; persecution or expulsion on political, religious, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, sexual or any other grounds ; detention or abduction of persons without disclosing information thereon so as to deprive them of legal assistance ; oppression of a racial group or establishment of domination of one such group over another ; or any other similar inhuman acts intended to cause serious suffering or seriously harm health ; or who commits any of the said offences shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than five years or by a forty year prison term.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

War Crime against Civilian Population

Article 428
(1) Anyone who, in breach of the rules of international law, in state of war, armed conflict or occupation orders an attack upon civilian population, settlement, individual civilians, persons incapacitated for combat or members or facilities of humanitarian organizations or peace-keeping missions ; an attack without a specific target which strikes civilian population or civilian facilities under special protection of international law ; an attack upon military targets that was known to cause killing of civilian population or damage to civilian facilities in obvious disproportion to the expected military effect ; orders action against civilian population so as to physically injure, torture, treat inhumanly, use in biological, medical and other scientific experiments or take tissue or organs for transplantation, or to perform other acts causing harm to health or extensive suffering, or orders displacement or movement or forced change of nationality or religion; coercion to prostitution or rape ; taking of measures of intimidation and terror, taking of hostages, collective sentencing, unlawful placing under arrest and detention ; deprivation of the right to a just and impartial trial ; proclamation of rights and acts of nationals of the opposite party forbidden, suspended or not allowed in court procedure ;
compelling to service in armed forces of an enemy force or its intelligence service or administration; forced service in armed forces of persons under the age of seventeen ; forced labour ; starving of population ; unlawful confiscation, misappropriation, or destruction of property which belongs to civilian population and which is not justified by military needs ; taking an unlawful and excessive contribution and requisition ; devaluation of local currency or unlawful issuance of currency or who commits any of the said offences shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than five years.

(2) The punishment under para. 1 above shall also apply to anyone who by breaching the rules of international law during a war, armed conflict or occupation orders any of the following : an attack upon facilities under special protection of international law or facilities and installations of dangerous power such as dams, embankments, and nuclear power plants; strikes at civilian facilities under special
protection of international law, places without defence and demilitarised zones; long term and extensive damage to environment that can cause harm to health or survival of population or who commits any of the said offences.

(3) Anyone who during a war, armed conflict or occupation orders murders against civilian population or who commits such a crime shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than ten years or by a forty year prison term.

(4) Anyone who by breaching the rules of international law during a war, armed conflict or occupation, as an occupying force, orders or commits displacement of a part of its own civilian population to the occupied territory shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than five years.

(5) Anyone who threatens to commit one or more of the offences under paras 1 and 2 above shall be punished by a prison term from six months to five years.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

War Crime against the wounded and sick

Article 429
(1) Anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, in state of war or armed conflict orders against the wounded, sick, shipwrecked or medical or religious service staff, infliction of bodily injuries, torture, inhuman treatment, biological, medical or other scientific experiments, taking of tissue or body organs for transplantation or other acts causing harm to health or inflicting serious suffering or ordering unlawful destruction or large scale appropriation of materials, means of transport for medical purpose and stocks of medical institutions or units that is not justified by military needs or who commits any of the said offences shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than five years.

(2) Anyone who during a war, armed conflict or occupation orders murder of the wounded or the sick or commits such a crime shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than ten years or by a forty year prison term.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

War Crime against Prisoners of War

Article 430
(1) Anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, orders against prisoners of war the infliction of bodily injuries, torture, inhuman treatment, biological, medical or other scientific experiments, taking of tissues or body organs for transplantation, or commission of other acts so as to harm health and cause serious suffering or orders coercion to service in armed forces of the enemy, deprivation of the right to a just and impartial trial ; or who commits any of the said offences shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than five years.

(2) Anyone who during a war, armed conflict, or occupation orders murders of prisoners of war or who commits such a crime shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than ten years or by a forty year prison term.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Organization and instigation to Commit genocide and war crimes

Article 431
(1) Anyone who conspires with another to commit any of the criminal offence under Articles 426 to 430 hereof shall be punished by a prison term from three months to three years.

(2) Anyone who organizes a group in view of committing any of the criminal offences under para. 1 above shall be punished by a prison term from five to fifteen years.

(3) Anyone who becomes a member of the group referred to in para. 1 above shall be punished by a prison term from one to eight years.

(4) A perpetrator of the offences under paras 1 and 3 above who discloses the conspiracy or group before committing a criminal offence as its member or on behalf of the group, and a perpetrator of the offence under para. 2 above who prevents the commission of the offences under para. 1 above may receive a lighter punishment.

(5) Anyone who calls for or incites to the commission of any of the criminal offences under Articles 426 to 430 hereof shall be punished by a prison term from two to ten years.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Unlawful Killing and Wounding of Enemies

Article 434
(1) Anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, in state of war or armed conflict kills or wounds an enemy who has laid down his weapons or has unconditionally surrendered or was left without any means of defence shall be punished by a prison term from one to fifteen years.

(2) Where the killing under para. 1 above was committed in an insidious manner
or out of base motives, the perpetrator shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than ten years.

(3) Where the killing under para. 1 above was committed in a cruel manner or out of gain or if several persons were murdered, the perpetrator shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than ten years or by a forty year prison term.

(4) The punishment under para. 3 above shall also apply to anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, in state of war or armed conflict issues an order that there must be no enemy survivors or who combats the enemy for that purpose.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Cruel Treatment of the Injured, Sick and of Prisoners of War

Article 437
Anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, treats inhumanly the injured, sick or prisoners of war, or who prevents or denies their access to the rights vested in them under such rules or who orders the commission of such offences shall be punished by a prison term from six months to five years.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Unjustified Delay of Repatriation of Prisoners of War

Article 438
Anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, after the war or armed conflict ended, unjustifiably delays the repatriation or prisoners of war or of civilians, or who orders such delay shall be punished by a prison term from six months to five years.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Destruction of Cultural Good

Article 439
(1) Anyone who, in breach of rules of international law, in state of war or armed conflict destroys or uses for military purposes cultural or historical monuments or other cultural good or religious structures or institutions or facilities intended for science, art, education or humanitarian goals or who misappropriates a movable cultural good or orders the commission of such offences shall be punished by a prison term from three to fifteen years.

(2) Where the offence under para. 1 above resulted in the destruction of a facility that as a cultural good enjoys special protection of international law, the perpetrator shall be punished by a prison term from five to fifteen years.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Abuse of International Signs

Article 441
(1) Anyone who abuses or carries without authorization the flag or sign of the United Nations Organization or the flag or sign of the Red Cross Organization or signs equivalent to them or other internationally recognized signs used to mark certain facilities for their protection against military operations or who orders that such offences be committed shall be punished by a prison term up to three years.

(2) Anyone who commits any of the offences under para. 1 above in the zone of war operations shall be punished by a prison term from six months to five years.

SPECIAL PART

TITLE THIRTY-FIVE
CRIMINAL OFFENCES AGAINST HUMANITY AND OTHER VALUES GUARANTEED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW

Aggressive war

Article 442
(1) Anyone who calls for or incites to aggressive war shall be punished by a prison term from two to twelve years.

(2) Anyone who orders the waging of aggressive war shall be punished by a prison term not shorter than ten years or by a forty year prison term.

Part Two
COURSE OF THE PROCEEDINGS

V THE MAIN HEARING AND JUDGMENT

Chapter XXII
THE MAIN HEARING

2. DIRECTION OF THE MAIN HEARING

Maintenance of order and imposition of punishment due to disruption of order and procedural discipline

Article 321
(1) If the defendant, defense attorney, the injured party, proxy, legal representative, witness, expert witness, interpreter or other person attending the main hearing disrupts order, insults the Court, parties and other participants to the proceedings or fails to comply with the directions of the Chair of the Panel concerning the maintenance of order, the Chair of the Panel shall warn him/her. If such a warning fails to be successful, the Panel may order the defendant to be removed from the Courtroom, while other persons may not only be removed but also punished by a fine in the amount not exceeding € 1.000.

(2) By a decision of the Panel, the defendant may be removed from the Courtroom for a certain period of time, and if s/he has already been examined at the main hearing, than for the whole presentation of evidence. Before the presentation of evidence is completed, the Chair of the Panel shall call in the defendant and inform him/her about the course of the main hearing. If the accused continues to disrupt order and offend the dignity of the Court, the Panel may remove him/her again from the Courtroom. In such a case, the main hearing shall be concluded in the absence of the defendant, and the judgment shall be communicated to him/her by the Chair of the Panel or by a judge, who is the member of the Panel, in the presence of the Court clerk.

(3) The Panel may deny further defense or representation at the main hearing to a defense attorney or proxy who after being punished continues to disrupt order, and in such a case the party shall be called on to retain another defense attorney or proxy. If it is impossible for the defendant who has not been examined at the main hearing to do so, or if in the case of mandatory defense it is impossible for the Court to assign a new defense attorney without prejudicing the defense, the main hearing shall be recessed or a continuance of the main hearing shall be ordered, and the defense attorney shall be ordered to pay expenses incurred due to the interruption or postponement of the main hearing. If the private Prosecutor or subsidiary Prosecutor do not retain another proxy, the Panel may decide to continue the main hearing in the absence of a proxy, if it establishes that this would not prejudice the interests of the person whom s/he represents. A ruling thereon shall be entered into the records along with the statement of reasons. An interlocutory appeal may not be filed against this ruling.

(4) If the Court removes the subsidiary Prosecutor or the private Prosecutor or their legal representative from the Courtroom, the main hearing shall continue in their absence, but the Court shall instruct them that they may retain a proxy.

(5) If the State Prosecutor or a person acting on his/her behalf disrupts order, the Chair of the Panel shall notify the competent State Prosecutor thereof, and s/he may recess the main hearing and request the competent State Prosecutor to appoint other person to represent the prosecution.

(6) After punishing an attorney who disrupts order, the Court shall notify about that the Bar Chamber of which s/he is a member.