Section 56. Criminal Liability Limitation Period

(1) A person may not be held criminally liable if from the day when he or she committed the criminal offence, the following time period has elapsed:

1) [21 October 2010];
2) two years after the day of committing a criminal violation;
3) five years after the day of committing a less serious crime;
4) ten years after the day of committing a serious crime;
5) fifteen years after the day of committing an especially serious crime, except a crime for which, in accordance with the law, life imprisonment may be adjudged;
6) [12 November 2015].

(1^1) A person may not be held criminally liable if twenty years have elapsed fromthe day when the victim of the criminal offence against morality and sexual inviolability of a minor or resulting in serious bodily injury related to genital mutilation or loss of reproductive capacity, or of human trafficking, or of compelling commission of an abortion has attained eighteen years of age, except for the crime for which, in accordance with the Law, life imprisonment may be adjudged.

(2) The limitation period shall be calculated from the day when the criminal offence has been committed or in the case provided for in Paragraph 1.1 of this Section from the day when the victim has attained eighteen years of age, until when charges are brought or the accused has been issued an official extradition request if the accused resides in another state and has been declared as wanted.

(3) The limitation period is interrupted if, before expiry of the time periods laid down in Paragraph one or 1.1 of this Section, the person who has committed the criminal offence commits a new criminal offence. In such case, the limitation period provided for the more serious of the committed criminal offences shall be calculated from the time of the committing the new criminal offence.

(4) The issue of application of a limitation period to a person who has committed a crime for which life imprisonment may be adjudged, shall be decided by a court, if from the day of committing the crime or from the day when the victim of a crime against morality and sexual inviolability of a minor, has attained eighteen years of age, thirty years have elapsed.