The General Penal Code
1940 No. 19 (12 February)
Entered into force 12 August 1940. Amended by l. 47/1941 (took effect 30 June 1941), l. 36/1944 (took effect
24 Aug. 1944), l. 101/1950 (took effect 31 Dec. 1950), l. 100/1951 (took effect 20 March 1951), l. 22/1955 (took
effect 23 May 1955), l. 20/1956 (took effect 24 Apr. 1956), l. 21/1957 (took effect 3 Sept. 1957), l.
31/1961 (took effect 2 May 1961), l. 8/1962 (took effect 28 Sept. 1962), l. 17/1962 (took effect 4 May 1962), l.
69/1964 (took effect 15 Jan. 1965), l. 41/1973 (took effect 24 May 1973), l. 96/1973 (took effect 31 Dec.
1973), l. 64/1974 (took effect 11 June 1974), l. 16/1976 (took effect 10 May 1976), l. 24/1976 (took effect 28
May 1976), l. 101/1976 (took effect 29 Dec. 1976), l. 34/1980 (took effect 9 June 1980), l. 52/1980 (took effect
16 June 1980), l. 20/1981 (took effect Oct. 1981), l. 69/1981 (took effect 18 June 1981), l. 13/1984 (took effect
1 July 1984), l. 42/1985 (took effect 1 July 1985), l. 48/1988 (took effect 1 Jan. 1989), l. 16/1990 (took effect 6
Apr. 1990), l. 19/1991 (took effect 1 July 1992 except for the first and third paragraphs of Art. 29, which took
effect 17 Apr. 1991), l. 21/1991 (took effect 1 July 1992), l. 92/1991 (took effect 1 July 1992 except for Art. 103,
which took effect 9 Jan. 1992), l. 40/1992 (took effect 10 June 1992), l. 39/1993 (took effect 7 May 1993; EEA
Agreement: Annex IX, Directive 91/308/EEC), l. 50/1993 (took effect 1 July 1993), l. 72/1993 (took effect 27
May 1993), l. 133/1993 (took effect 1 Jan. 1994; EES Agreement: Annex V, Directive 64/221/EEC, Annex VII,
Directive 67/43/EEC, Annex V, Directives 68/360/EEC and 72/194/EEC, Annex VIII, Directives 73/148/EEC,
75/34/EBE and 75/35/ EEC, Annex VII, Directives 77/249/EEC and 89/48/EEC, Annex VIII, Directives 90/364/
EEC, 90/365/EEC and 90/366/EBE), l. 39/1995 (took effect 1 Jan. 1995), l. 71/1995 (took effect 13 Mar.
1995), l. 142/1995 (took effect 29 Dec. 1995), l. 84/1996 (took effect 1 July 1997), l. 90/1996 (took effect 1 July
1997), l. 126/1996 (took effect 1 Jan. 1997), l. 135/1996 (took effect 30 Dec. 1996), l. 10/1997 (took effect 26
Mar. 1997), l. 57/1997 (took effect 1 July 1997), l. 30/1998 (took effect 29 Apr. 1998), l. 63/1998 (took effect 18
June 1998), l. 82/1998 (took effect 1 Oct. 1998), l. 140/1998 (took effect 30 Dec. 1998), l. 147/1998 (took effect
30 Dec. 1998), l. 24/1999 (took effect 30 Mar. 1999), l. 122/1999 (took effect 30 Dec. 1999),l. 15/2000 (took
effect 28 Apr. 2000), l. 39/2000 (took effect 26 May 2000), l. 94/2000 (took effect 6 June 2000), l.
25/2001 (took effect 16 May 2001), l. 32/2001 (took effect 16 May 2001), l. 44/2001 (took effect 13 June
2001), l. 14/2002(took effect 3 Apr. 2002), l. 56/2002 (took effect 14 May 2002), l. 70/2002 (took effect 17 May
2002), l. 99/2002 (took effect 31 May 2002), l. 40/2003 (took effect 3 Apr. 2003), l. 54/2003 (took effect 7 Apr.
2003), l. 125/2003 (took effect 30 Dec. 2003), l. 73/2004 (took effect 18 June 2004), l. 129/2004 (took effect 31
Dec. 2005), l. 21/2005 (took effect 25 May 2005), l. 49/2005 (took effect 1 July 2005), l. 81/2005 (took effect 9
June 2005), l. 83/2005 (took effect 9 June 2005),l. 27/2006 (took effect 3 May 2006), l. 74/2006 (took effect 30
June 2006), l. 25/2007 (took effect 29 Mar. 2007), l. 61/2007 (took effect 4 Apr. 2007), l. 88/2008 (took effect 1
Jan. 2009 except for Interim Provision VII, which took effect 21 June 2008), l. 54/2009 (took effect 1 May
2009), l. 149/2009 (took effect 1 Jan. 2010), l. 143/2010 (took effect 29 Dec. 2010), l. 162/2010 (took effect 1
Jan. 2011), l. 72/2011 (took effect 28 June 2011), l. 85/2011 (took effect 30 June 2011), l. 126/2011(took effect
30 Sept. 2011), l. 58/2012 (took effect 27 June 2012), l. 5/2013 (took effect 2 Feb. 2013), l. 37/2013 (took effect
9 Apr. 2013), l. 13/2014 (took effect 13 Feb. 2014), l. 43/2015 (took effect 2 July 2015), l. 44/2015 (took effect 2
July 2015), l.47/2015 (took effect 1 Jan. 2016, except the interim provision and Articles 22 and 23, which took
effect 15 July 2015), l.115/2015 (took effect 16 Dec. 2015), l. 23/2016 (took effect 5 Apr. 2016), l. 80/2017
(took effect 30 Sept. 2017), l. 16/2018 (took effect 13 Apr. 2018), l. 66/2018 (took effect 26 June 2018), l.
141/2018 (took effect 1 Jan. 2019) and l. 144/2018 (took effect 29 Dec. 2018).
If in this Act ‘the minister’ or ‘the ministry’ is mentioned without further definition
of, or reference to, the portfolio involved, this is a reference to the Minister of
Justice or the Ministry of Justice, as they are responsible for the application of this
Act. Information on the responsibilities of the government ministries, as
determined by Presidential decrees, can be found here.
Chapter I. Authorisation for punishment; scope of penal law … etc.
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