People in Fear

National Parliament House

Government of Papua New Guinea increases penalty for serious crimes. 
Parliament passed amendments to the Criminal Code Act now increases the penalty for serious crime including stealing and misappropriation.


Prime Minister Peter O'Neill PNG

The passing of the Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2013, ensures that; The sorcery act 1971 is repealed in its entirety. Killing connected with sorcery are now treated as willful murder, and the penalty is death.

Aggravated rape now carries the death penalty. This is rape using weapons, or rape in the company of one other or more persons, or where grievous bodily harm is caused, and where the victim is a child  under 10 years.Kidnapping now carries a prison term of 50 years without remission or parole;
Kidnapping for ransom now carries life imprisonment without remission or parole;
Stealing two new subsections 372. For theft of money between K5 million and K9.99 million the penalty is 50 years without remission and parole; for stealing K10 million or more the penalty is life imprisonment without parole remission.
A new subsection is inserted to section 383A so an offender guilty of misappropriating property worth K10 million or above is sentence to life imprisonment;
Section 386 is amended which now allows the State a number of modes of execution for a person sentenced  to death.
Subsection 614 now provides the modes of execution which include hanging, lethal injection, medical death by deprivation of oxygen, firing squad, electrification.
Which method to be used will be determined by the Head  of State on advice from NEC.
These are very tough penalties but they reflect the seriousness of the nature of the crimes, and demand by the community for Parliament to act.

Port Moresby.
Post Courier News.