NEW CRIMINAL CODE LIKELY TO BE ADOPTED BY YEAR'S END








MOSCOW, MARCH 12, 2001. /RIA Novosti correspondent Marianna  Shatikhina/. The Russian president's administration considers that the new Criminal Code will be adopted by the State Duma, lower house of the Russian parliament, by the end of this year.


	Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of presidential administration, told journalists that the probability of such deadline makes 90 percent.


	Mr Kozak said in this respect that next week President  Vladimir Putin will hold in the Kremlin a conference on issues related to the criminal legislation perfection.


	Mr Kozak reminded that the new draft Criminal Code was passed in the first reading by the State Duma in 1997 and on May 24, 2001 it will be considered in the second reading.


	He also noted that on the basis of the results of the  forthcoming conference with the president the final amendments will be made to the Criminal Code to consider the document in the second reading.


	Answering journalists' questions Mr Kozak noted that currently no decisions have been made with regard to reforming the procurator's office. At the same time, he stressed that proposals on the Criminal Code improving prepared by a working group headed by him envisage "certain changes of the procurator's office role."