Justice Minister to introduce "great financial fraud" category to penal code

Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro informed that the ministry is working on a project that would introduce a new category of crime – a "great financial fraud," into the penal code that would carry the threat of imprisonment for 25 years. "Harm done in such cases might be bigger than that which is a result of a heavy beating, for example. The loss of all assets can lead to suicide," said Ziobro. The minister gave example of Bernard Madoff, a US financier and the operator of a Ponzi scheme, who was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Ziobro claimed that the planned changes are aimed at deterring criminals, but also to force them to cooperate with law enforcement.