The law, which extends the fines and deprivation of liberty for the “white-collar crimes”, including banking, tax, embezzlement of public funds or asset laundering, was approved last May by the National Congress. It is also aimed at tackling corruption and illicit enrichment, and will not only apply to companies but also to religious entities, political parties, companies and state universities.
“It seems important to us to defend a law that ends impunity in this matter,” declared Senator Claudia Pascual, who considered it inadmissible that legal and natural persons are not sanctioned in proportion to the economic and environmental damage caused. In her words, the big business community, represented in the CPC, rejected that the law establishes special penalties for certain people, according to their position.
Justice Minister Luis Cordero criticized the challenge and warned that the CPC is trying to prevent initiatives with broad support in Parliament and among citizens.
Senator Daniel Núñez, considered totally questionable the fact that the Corporation for Production and Commerce appeals to the Constitutional Court against the law, which establishes clearer and more exemplary sanctions for economic crimes. “Obviously, the penalties must be increased and the jail enforced when acts as serious as collusion and tax fraud are committed,” he said in statements published by the El Siglo newspaper.
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