In Brief: Prosecution costs; Road-side fuel checks

Law and Justice (PiS) has proposed increasing the costs for all prosecutions, which in the case of those going to prison for 25 years or life would change from the current zl. 300 to zl. 4000. "The present amount is far too small, as these sums do not correspond to the actual costs of court proceedings and in effect the entire cost is borne by the state," justified PiS. The government said neither yes nor no, but awaits an in-depth discussion, and realistic suggestions. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, C1) ... Traffic police will soon begin examination of car fuel tanks. During routine road-side inspections, officers will be allowed to check whether a car is using diesel or heating oil. If it turns out that the driver is using the latter then, apart from the ordinary tax investigation into payment or otherwise of fuel excise, the driver will also be subject to a zl. 500 fine. (Rzeczpospolita, p. C1) M.M.