Law No. ZRU-1176: up to five years in prison for pressuring a judge or investigator, liability for contempt of court extended

Law No. ZRU-1176 toughens liability for pressuring a judge, investigator or prosecutor: an official now faces up to five years in prison. Administrative liability for contempt of court now covers the entire court building. The law entered into force on 12 September 2026.

The President signed the law amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Liability to prevent contempt of court on 11 September 2026. It was adopted by the Legislative Chamber on 24 February and approved by the Senate on 19 May.

Pressure on investigations and courts

Article 236 of the Criminal Code now separately addresses interference with investigations and with the resolution of court cases. It penalises unlawful influence on:

• An investigator or prosecutor, to obstruct a comprehensive, complete and impartial investigation
• A judge or people’s assessor, not only to obtain an unjust ruling but also to obstruct an objective hearing of the case

Penalties

Such influence is punishable by one of the following:

• Correctional labour of up to three years
• Restriction of liberty from one to three years
• Imprisonment of up to three years

If committed by an official, the penalty is restriction of liberty or imprisonment from three to five years with deprivation of a certain right.

Contempt of court

In Article 180 of the Code of Administrative Liability, the contempt of court provision now includes the words “or in the court building”. Administrative liability now applies to breaches of order not only during a hearing but anywhere in the court building.

What this means in practice. Any attempt to informally “settle matters” with a judge, investigator or prosecutor — by phone calls, requests or through intermediaries — is expressly treated as a crime. Parties and their relatives should:

• Observe order throughout the court building, not only in the courtroom
• Defend their position solely by procedural means

Photo: Santeri Viinamäki, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)