The Liberal Democrat Party of Moldova (PLDM) thinks that the new Contravention Code, which entered into force on May 31, is used by those in power in order to collect money to the budget for escaping the economic crisis at the population’s expense. Members of PLDM assert that the new code contains a lot of unconstitutional provisions and stipulations which do not comply with the European Convention of Human Rights. This fact generated a new wave of corruption. “This new code, which was designed to eliminate all the flaws, of soviet origin, of the old one in order to develop provisions which would comply with the constitutional and European regulations, has failed to fulfill its purpose, publicly declared by the communist government”, Vitalie Nagacevschi, lawyer and MP candidate on PLDM’s list told a press-conference on Monday. Nagacevschi, who is also a member of the party’s Political Bureau, thinks that the sanctions provided in the code have been increased unjustly. He argued that they approach the level of sanctions provided in the penal legislation and are evidently disproportionate compared to the population’s income. “One can be punished for both a contravention and a crime with the same fine of 150 units. The same is valid for the unpaid work: one can be convicted to 60 hours of unpaid work either on the basis of the Criminal Code or the contravention legislation”, the lawyer said. An absolutely innovative issue of the new code is that of introducing sanctions for not fulfilling contractual obligations. “A person who lacks money for paying his bills is to face another financial sanction – the fine. If the fine is not paid, the person can be arrested for a period of up to 30 days. This provision is contrary to the principles of law”, Vitalie Nagacevschi mentioned. “Last week, an employee of the Ministry of Interior stated that, since the entry into force of the Contravention Code, the fines collected for the violation of traffic regulations amounted to more than 2 million lei. Here’s a new source of income for the state”, the PLDM representative stated. Alexandru Tanase, first deputy chairman of PLDM, described the Contravention Code as “a sad reproduction of the Criminal Code”. PLDM is to submit a notification to the Constitutional Court for the declaration of the unconstitutionality of several provisions of the new code, in order to prevent eventual abuses of human rights. The Contravention Code has replaced the Code on administrative contraventions.