Those involved in criminal proceedings will be punished for false statements, under a bill amending the Criminal Code that has been approved by the Government and forwarded to Parliament for consideration, Info-Prim Neo reports. “This modification will help the prosecution bodies save both time and financial resources” Anticorruption Deputy Prosecutor Viorel Morari told a press conference on Monday. Whereas at present those involved in criminal proceedings had the right to withhold information or make only convenient statements without this having any direct impact on them, after the adoption of this amendment only the right to remain silent will be retained. If these persons decide to make statements, these will have to be truthful unless they want the false statements to be used against them. The lightest punishment for such an offense will be a fine of 150 conventional units, which is 3,000 lei, and the most severe will be 5 years' imprisonment. This and other measures which are part of the national penal reform are being considered by the Parliament's specialized commission.