The Law on Amendments and Supplements to Several Articles of the Penal Code and five other laws were made public by the Presidential Office a at a press conference on July 12.

Vice Chairman of the Presidential Office Giang Son reads the announcement at the press conference

The six laws were passed during the third session of the 14th National Assembly which took place in Hanoi from May 22 to June 21.

The issuance of the Law on Amendments and Supplements to Several Articles of the Penal Code aims to correct shortcomings found in the Penal Code No. 100/2015/QH13. 

The law adjusts and supplements regulations regarding juvenile criminals and a new article on violations of regulations on multi-level business, aiming to strictly handle violations in this field that have caused losses for the public, especially those in rural areas, and seriously affected social order and safety. 

The law removes the crime of supplying illegal services through the internet, computers and telecommunications network (Article 292 of the Penal Code). 

The revised Penal Code will take effect on January 1, 2018, according to Resolution No. 41/2017/QH14 on the implementation of Penal Code No. 12/2017/QH14, also adopted at the third session of the 14th National Assembly.

The other five laws announced are the Law on State Compensation Liability, the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets, the Law on Legal Assistance, the Law on the Guard Force and the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supportive Tools. 

The Law on State Compensation Liability amends and supplements regulations on compensations for losses, with the aim of correcting the limitations and bottlenecks hindering the work over the past time. 

With nine chapters and 78 articles, the law will come into effect on July 1, 2018. 

The Law on Management and Use of Public Assets will become effective on January 1, 2018.  Comprising ten chapters and 134 articles, the law stipulates seven groups of principles to be applied in the management and use of public assets. 

Coming into force on January 1, 2018, the Law on Legal Assistance, with eight chapters and 48 articles, increases the number of groups eligible to legal assistance from six in the 2006 law to 14.

With six chapters and 33 articles, the Law on the Guard Force will take effect on July 1, 2018. 

The Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supportive Tools has eight chapters and 76 articles.

Earlier the same day, the Presidential office also announced the Law on Foreign Trade Management, Law on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Support, Law on Technology Transfer, Tourism Law, Irrigation Law, and Railway Law. 

VNA