The South African legal system is dualistic in nature with the one part consisting of the Western common law and the other consisting of African customary law. Although these two legal systems enjoy equal recognition, they regularly come into conflict with each other due to their divergent value systems. It is especially within the context of the South African criminal law that this conflict becomes apparent, because an accused's conduct can be viewed as lawful in terms of African customary law, but unlawful in terms of the South African common law. In such cases the accused may attempt to raise a cultural defence by putting forth evidence of his cultural background or values to convince the court that his prima facie unlawful conduct is actually lawful and that he should escape criminal liability. Alternatively, an accused may put forth evidence of his cultural background or values in an attempt to receive a lighter sentence. The question which therefore arises is whether a so-called "cultural defence" exists in the South African criminal law, and if so, what the influence of such a defence on the South African criminal law is. The conflict between African Customary law and the South African common law in the context of the criminal law arises due to the fact that the indigenous belief in witchcraft, (including witch-killings), the indigenous belief in the tokoloshe and the use of muti-medicine (including muti-murders), as well as the phenomenon of "necklacing" and the custom of ukuthwala can result in the commission of various common law crimes. In the case of witch-killings, the perpetrators can be charged with the common law crimes of murder or, if the victim survives, attempted murder, common assault or assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Similarly, necklacing, as a method used for killing witches, can also result in the commission of these common law crimes. What is more, the perpetrators of witch-killings can also be charged with the statutory crimes of accusing someone of witchcraft, pointing the victim out as being a witch or wizard or injuring a person based on information received from a traditional healer, or similar person. The indigenous belief in the tokoloshe can lead to the commission of the common law crimes of murder or, if the victim survives, common assault or assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The perpetrators of mutimurders can also face charges of murder or attempted murder, if the victim survives. The indigenous custom of ukuthwala can result in the commission of common law crimes such as abduction, kidnapping and common assault, as well as the statutory crime of rape. A perusal of South African case law dealing with the indigenous beliefs and customs above reveals that the accused in such cases have indeed attempted to put forth evidence of their indigenous beliefs or customs to persuade the criminal courts that they should escape criminal liability for a particular crime. In fact, these arguments were raised within the context of the existing common law defences such as private defence, necessity, involuntary conduct and a lack of criminal capacity. However, the South African criminal courts have up till now in general been unwilling to accept arguments of indigenous beliefs and customs to serve as a defence, either alone or within the context of the existing defences above, for the commission of a common law or statutory crime. They have, however, been more willing to accept evidence of an accused's indigenous belief or custom to serve as a mitigating factor during sentencing. The extent to which an accused's cultural background will serve as a mitigating factor will, of course, depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. As a result an accused who is charged with the commission of a culturally motivated crime has no guarantee that his cultural background and values will in fact be considered as a mitigating factor during his criminal trial. It is thus ultimately concluded that a so-called "cultural defence" does not exist in the South African Criminal law. The indigenous beliefs and customs above not only result in the commission of common law or statutory crimes, but also in the infringement of various fundamental human rights in the Constitution. Witch-killings result in the infringement of the constitutional right to life and the right to freedom and security of the person. However, witches and wizards who are persecuted for practising witchcraft are also denied their right to a fair trial entrenched in the Constitution. Similarly, muti-murders and necklacing also result in the infringement of the right to life and the right to freedom and security of the person entrenched in the Constitution. The custom of ukuthwala results in the infringement of the right to equality, the right to freedom and security of the person, the right to live in an environment that is not harmful to health or well-being, the right not to be subjected to slavery, servitude or forced labour, the right to basic education and other constitutional safeguards aimed at protecting children. In light of the constitutional right to freedom of culture and the right to freely participate in a cultural life of one's choosing the question can be asked whether the time has come to formally recognise a cultural defence in the South African criminal law. In this study it is argued that these constitutional rights do not warrant the formal recognition of a cultural defence. Instead, it is recommended that the conflict between African customary law and the South African common law can be resolved by bringing indigenous beliefs and customs in line with the values that underpin the Constitution as the supreme law of South Africa. Of course, this does not mean that the courts should ignore cultural considerations during a criminal trial if and when they arise. In fact, as pointed out in this study, the courts have a constitutional duty to apply African customary law when that law is applicable. It goes without saying that, when an accused attempts to escape criminal liability for his unlawful conduct by raising arguments of his cultural background, African customary law will be applicable and must be considered by the court. This in turn raises the question as to how the criminal courts can ensure that they give enough consideration to the possibility that an accused's criminal conduct was culturally motivated so as to comply with their constitutional mandate referred to above. Although it would be nearly impossible to formulate a perfect or flawless approach according to which a judicial officer can adjudicate criminal matters involving culturally motivated crimes, the author suggests the following practical approach which may provide some guidance to judicial officers in dealing with cases involving culturally motivated crimes: • Step 1: Consider whether the commission of the crime was culturally motivated or not. If it seems as though the accused did not commit a culturally motivated crime, the trial can continue on that basis. If, however, it is evident that the accused indeed committed a culturally motivated crime, step 2 follows. • Step 2: Once it has been determined that the commission of the crime was culturally motivated, the next step is to determine which indigenous belief or custom led to the commission of the crime. Once the relevant indigenous belief or custom has been identified, step 3 follows. • Step 3: When it is clear which indigenous belief or custom led to the accused's commission of the crime, the next step is to determine whether arguments pertaining to that particular indigenous belief or custom may be raised within the context of the existing defences in the South African Criminal law in order to exclude the accused's criminal liability. If an accused relies on one of the existing defences in the South African criminal law, he will have to lay a proper evidential foundation for his defence before the court. In assessing the evidence put forth by the accused, the judicial officer must consider the judgment and reasoning in previous cases dealing with the particular indigenous belief or custom. A judicial officer must also consider the values underpinning the Constitution when conducting such an assessment. If a judicial officer upholds an accused's defence, the accused is acquitted. However, if the judicial officer rejects an accused's defence, the accused must be convicted and step 4 follows. • Step 4: Once an accused has been convicted, a court should consider whether arguments of his cultural background can serve as an extenuating circumstance, mitigating the punishment to be imposed on him. However, the practical approach above merely serves as a suggestion to judicial officers in dealing with culturally motivated crimes and ultimately it will be up to the judiciary to develop both the Western common law and African customary law to resolve the criminal law conflicts between these two legal systems. The research for this study was concluded in November 2013. / LLD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

La plupart des systèmes pénaux dans le monde ont recours à la détention d’une personne soupçonnée d’avoir commis une infraction avant que son jugement soit définitif. Néanmoins, l’intensité de cette mesure dépend du régime politique démocratique ou autoritaire, du modèle de la procédure accusatoire ou inquisitoire. Le fondement de la privation de la liberté avant le jugement se justifie par la nécessité de préserver la société contre des actes qu’aurait commis le suspect en liberté. Mais comment apprécier ce risque, cette éventualité alors que sa culpabilité reste à être déterminée par une autorité compétente ? La détention d’une personne innocente est un mal irréparable, une atteinte grave aux droits fondamentaux. Quel que soit le modèle politique ou procédural, le régime de détention provisoire doit répondre à un équilibre à la fois d’efficacité de la répression et de protection de la liberté individuelle. Nous analysons la question de détention provisoire sous l’angle du droit comparé des deux systèmes pénaux (français et vietnamien) qui s’opposent en apparence à tous les niveaux : géographique, politique et culturel mais cherchent tous deux des mécanismes pour limiter la détention provisoire abusive. L’exigence de la vraisemblance de culpabilité avant le placement en détention provisoire et tout au long de la détention provisoire reste la règle essentielle de ces mécanismes. Mais cela ne résout pas tous les problèmes de la détention notamment dans un contexte où l’efficacité et le rôle de l’ensemble du système carcéral sont remis en cause / Most penal systems in the world have recourse to the custody of a person suspected of having committed an offence before final sentencing. Nevertheless, the intensity of this measure depends on the political regime – democratic or authoritarian- as well as the type of procedure: accusatory or inquisitorial. This deprivation of freedom before sentencing is based on the necessity to protect society from the offence which the suspect would have committed during his/her freedom. However, how can one determine this risk, this eventuality, whilst the suspect’s guilt remains to be determined by a body competent to do so? The detention of an innocent person is an irreparable wrong and a serious breach of one’s fundamental rights. Whatever the political or procedural model, the regime of pre-trial detention must strike a balance between the efficacy of the measure and the protection of fundamental rights. We will analyse the question of pre-trial detention from the Comparative Law perspective of two penal systems (French and Vietnamese ) which are seemingly contrasting at all levels: geographical, political and cultural; but which both seek measures which limit the abuse of pre-trial detention. The requirement of the likelihood of guilt before remanding the suspect in custody (as well as throughout the pre-trial detention) remains an essential rule of these systems. However, this does not solve all the problems regarding detention, notably in a context where the efficacy and the role of the entire prison system are being called into question.

Thesis title: The responsibility of an employee for damage The subject of the thesis is the responsibility of an employee for damage. The thesis offers in the first place a comprehensive summary of the current legislation of the topic. The main purpose of the thesis is to summarize the legislation of the labor- law and of the employee`s responsibility for any damage done to the employer where for this purpose there are analyzed particular sorts of the responsibility distinguished by the Labor Code. In details there are described first of all specific conditions that must be fulfilled to claim the responsibility on the employee for the damage, the possibility of the employee to disclaim it is not neglected either. The thesis focuses on the main differences that distinguish the particular sorts of the responsibility from each other. An attention is given to the links between labor law and other legal codes, especially the civil one where the connection is the closest whereas the understanding of this mutual relation is very essential to understand the stated topic. The thesis is not formulated as only theoretical however there is a practical view of the topic included which is mingled mostly by decision-making practice of courts which generates some answers to unclear explanation of the legislations,...

This paper analyzes the strict liability system surviving in customs infringement procedures, the grounds for its existence or survival and its consequences. Also, the arguments against such system of liability attribution are examined. Thus, from such starting point, through a precise enumeration of statutory rebuttable presumptions whose intention can be presumed whenever it is difficult for Tax Authorities to prove such presumptions, I intend to find legal solutions to determine the grounds for its replacement without affecting the rights of the relevant individuals or legal entities when the customs infringements are decided. / El presente artículo aborda el estudio del régimen de responsabilidad objetiva que subsiste en materia infraccional aduanera, los fundamentos sostenidos para su existencia o pervivencia, y sus consecuencias. Asimismo, se desarrollan los argumentos contrarios a dicho régimen de imputación de la responsabilidad. Así, y partido de ello, se tratan de encontrar soluciones jurídicas que, sin vulneren los derechos de los administrados al juzgar las infracciones aduaneras, permitan resolver el fundamento de su sustitución, y ello, mediante un correcto establecimiento de presunciones legales relativas que permitan presumir la intención, cuando ella sea de difícil comprobación para el Fisco.

The 1988 Federal Constitution adopted a guarantor criminal model, which is based on the rule of law, which lists fundamental rights, ensuring the individualization of punishment and establishing limits to the state's punitive power, situations in which guilt plays an important role in maintaining constitutional essence. Regardless of the importance of guilt, it has been suffering a serious crisis generated by the tension between the political-criminal function and the need to determine the proportionality of the penalty applied. The analysis of guilt is now faced not as a constitutional guarantee limiting abuses from the punitive power of the state, but as an obstacle to the application of more severe sentences, giving space to the social need to ward off violence from the social sphere, regardless of the means therefore. In this sense, the satisfaction of the popular clamor for justice gains a prominent place in the criminal jurisdiction, being also adopted as a parameter of efficiency by the Judicial Power. In this context, the concept of justice expected by society is now confused with the maximum application of criminal law, even without compliance with constitutional guarantees. In view of such a scenario, encouraged and propagated by the media, the decisions handed down by the Judiciary Branch are, notably after Criminal Action no. 470/MG, judged by the Federal Supreme Court to follow a new paradigm, utilitarian and with a greater bias corruption and violence aimed at pacification and social welfare, less important if effective mitigation of compliance with the guarantees provided in the constitutional order. A new model of criminal law has been drawn up by the jurisprudence of the STF, which, in order to meet the social anxieties influenced and reverberated by the mass media, makes populist decisions, many in disharmony with the constitutional norm, leaving aside their observance. Constitutional interpretation becomes essential for the maintenance of the constitutional guarantor base, provided it is made according to its essence, rescuing the analysis of guilt, individualizing the sentence, ensuring a subjective judgment of imputation. / A Constituição Federal de 1988 adotou um modelo penal garantista, próprio de um Estado de Direito, elencando rol de direitos fundamentais, assegurando a individualização da pena e estabelecendo limites ao avanço do poder punitivo estatal, situações nas quais a culpabilidade exerce importante papel na manutenção da essência constitucional garantista. Em que pese tal importância da culpabilidade, a mesma vem sofrendo séria crise gerada pela tensão existente entre a função político-criminal e a necessidade de determinação da proporcionalidade da pena aplicada. A análise da culpabilidade passa a ser enfrentada não como uma garantia constitucional limitadora de abusos provenientes do poder punitivo estatal, mas como obstáculo à aplicação de penas mais severas, cedendo espaço à necessidade social de se afastar a violência do seio social, não importando os meios para tanto. Nesse sentido, a satisfação do clamor popular por justiça ganha lugar de destaque na jurisdição criminal, sendo também adotado como parâmetro de eficiência pelo Poder Judiciário. Nesse contexto, o conceito de justiça esperado pela sociedade passa a ser confundido com a aplicação máxima do direito penal, ainda que sem a observância das garantias constitucionais. Diante de tal panorama, incentivado e propagado pelos meios de comunicação, as decisões proferidas pelo Poder Judiciário caminham, destacadamente a partir da Ação Penal nº 470/MG, julgada pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal, a seguir novo paradigma, utilitarista e com viés maior de combate à corrupção e à violência, visando atender à pacificação e ao bem-estar social, não importando se efetiva a mitigação da observância das garantias previstas na ordem constitucional. Um novo modelo de direito penal vem sendo desenhado pela jurisprudência do STF, que, visando atender os anseios sociais influenciados e reverberados pelos meios de comunicação, profere decisões populistas, muitas em desarmonia com a norma constitucional, deixando de lado a sua observância. A interpretação constitucional torna-se essencial para a manutenção da base garantista constitucional, desde que seja feita de acordo com a sua essência, resgatando-se a análise da culpabilidade, individualizando-se a pena, garantindo um juízo subjetivo de imputação. / São Cristóvão, SE

An accused cannot be held criminally liable by a court until he is considered to be culpable, a process which entails establishing criminal capacity and intention (dolus) or negligence (culpa). Determining a perpetrator’s necessary intent in the form of dolus eventualis has proved to be a predicament in South African jurisprudence. This type of intent occurs when a person does not aim to cause the unlawful act, however, he subjectively foresees the likelihood that in pursuing with his conduct, the unlawful result will possibly happen, and he reconciles himself to this possibility. The problem with this form of intention, especially where the death of another is caused recklessly, is, amongst others, reservations as to whether the perpetrator’s foresight was of a real, reasonable or a remote possibility. This research examines the imperatives and rationale for preceding and current interpretations and applications of dolus eventualis and associate concepts in South African as well as in selected foreign legal frameworks in order to provide a comprehensive perspective on the subject. In this regard, the study challenges conflicting judgments on the application of dolus eventualis in domestic courts, especially as regards homicide- and putative private defence cases, amongst others. It is evidenced that in case law concerning dolus eventualis, legal rules were not properly articulated when determining this type of criminal intent. In this investigation, the legislative framework applicable to dolus eventualis under international law is also critically evaluated with the aim of facilitating the comprehension of this element in South African law. As the concept of dolus eventualis is an indispensable concept in South African criminal law, recommendations are proposed on the application and interpretation of dolus eventualis suitable to the South African landscape, which includes possible law reform. / Criminal and Procedural Law / LL. D. (Criminal and Procedural Law)

Les enfants victimes d'agression sexuelle (VAS) peuvent vivre des difficultés variées à la suite de leur victimisation. Parmi ces difficultés, des conséquences notamment sur le plan psychologique peuvent être vécues, telles que de l'anxiété et des symptômes dépressifs. À la suite du dévoilement de l'agression sexuelle (AS), la trajectoire de services de l’enfant peut varier selon le degré d’intervention de la Direction de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ), engendrant des changements marqués dans sa vie. Le modèle théorique de Friedrich (1990) stipule que ces changements pouvant impliquer une rupture de liens au sein de la famille (ex : par un placement de l'enfant ou un interdit de contact avec le présumé agresseur), pourraient exercer une influence sur la culpabilité ressentie par l'enfant, lequel pourrait également se culpabiliser par rapport aux causes de l'AS. Une autre théorie stipule que la réaction émotionnelle de l’enfant à la suite du dévoilement peut varier en fonction d’un certain nombre de facteurs personnels, familiaux et contextuels (Spaccarelli, 1994). Bien que l’influence de certains facteurs contextuels et familiaux ait été explorée par le passé (telle que l'importance du soutien à la suite du dévoilement de l'AS sur le bien-être psychologique de l'enfant VAS (Lemieux et al., 2019; Quas et Goodman, 2012; Back et al., 2011)), on en sait peu sur l’influence des décisions qui sont prises dans le cadre de la prise en charge (placement par le centre jeunesse (CJE) ou l'implication continue du CJE, par exemple). Objectif : L'objectif de ce mémoire est de documenter les symptômes psychologiques des enfants VAS en lien avec leur trajectoire de prise en charge. Ainsi, le présent mémoire explore l’influence de facteurs contextuels liés à la prise en charge (placement de l'enfant, interdit de contact avec l'agresseur, l'intensité de l'implication des professionnels dans la vie de l'enfant, le contact continu avec l'intervenant du CJE en cours d'évaluation et le nombre d'évènements stressants liés au dévoilement) et de facteurs personnels (stratégies d’évitement et culpabilité) sur l’état émotionnel de l’enfant (détresse psychologique). Méthode : Ce mémoire vise à répondre à deux questions principales : 1) Quels sont les facteurs qui exercent une influence sur la détresse psychologique des enfants VAS ? Une sous-question émerge de cette question principale : les filles et les garçons expérimentent-ils le même niveau de détresse psychologique et les mêmes facteurs internes ? 2) Les facteurs externes à l'enfant exercent-ils une influence additionnelle aux facteurs internes à l’enfant sur la détresse psychologique ? Des enfants VAS ont été recrutés par le Centre d'expertise Marie-Vincent (CEMV) (n = 369), soit 249 filles et 120 garçons. Ces enfants et un de leurs parents non-agresseur ont rempli des questionnaires visant entre autres à évaluer les répercussions liées à l'AS. Afin de répondre aux questions de recherches, des analyses de régression linéaire hiérarchique et un test t pour groupes indépendants ont été exécutés. Résultats : L'intensité de l'implication des professionnels dans la vie de l'enfant, la culpabilité et les stratégies d'évitement sont associés à plus de détresse psychologique chez les enfants VAS. Le modèle final de régression hiérarchique permet de prédire près de 41% de la variance sur le score de détresse psychologique des enfants VAS. Conclusion : Les résultats obtenus concordent en partie avec la littérature actuelle. D'autres recherches seraient nécessaires notamment afin de déterminer si d'autres variables liées à la prise en charge, telles que les contacts supervisés avec l'agresseur, peuvent être associées de manière significative à la détresse psychologique ressentie par les enfants VAS. / Child victims of sexual abuse can experience a variety of difficulties as a result of their victimization. Among these difficulties, psychological consequences can be experienced, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms. Following the disclosure of the sexual abuse, the child's services trajectory may vary depending on the degree of intervention by the youth welfare services, resulting in significant changes in the child’s life. Friedrich's (1990) theoretical model stipulates that these changes, which can involve a breakdown of family ties (e.g.: resulting from the placement of the child or prohibition of contact with the presumed perpetrator), could affect the child’s feeling of guilt and may also be related to the child’s feeling of guilt about the causes of the sexual abuse. Another theory stipulates that the child’s emotional response following disclosure may be influenced by a number of personal, familial and contextual factors (Spaccarelli, 1994). Although the influence of some contextual and familial factors has been explored in the past (such as the importance of support on the child's psychological well-being following the disclosure of the abuse (Lemieux et al., 2019; Quas et Goodman, 2012; Back et al., 2011)), little is known about the influence of the decisions that are taken by the youth welfare services (placement of the child or the ongoing involvement of youth welfare services, for example). Objective: The objective of this research is to document the psychological symptoms of child victims of sexual abuse in relation to their services trajectory. This project explores the influence of contextual factors (placement of the child, prohibition of contact with the abuser, intensity of involvement of professionals in the child's life, continued involvement of youth welfare services and the number of stressful events related to disclosure) and personal factors (avoidance strategies and guilt) on the child’s emotional state (psychological distress). Method: There are two main questions leading this project: 1) Which factors can influence the psychological distress of child victims of sexual abuse? A sub-question emerges from this first main question: do boys and girls experience the same level of psychological distress and the same internal factors? 2) Do external factors to the child bring an additional influence to the child's internal factors on psychological distress? Child victims of sexual abuse were recruited by the Centre d'expertise Marie-Vincent (CEMV) (n = 369), comprising 249 girls and 120 boys. These children and one of their non-offending parents completed questionnaires to assess the impact of the sexual abuse. In order to answer the research questions, hierarchical regression analyses and test t for independents groups were performed. Results: The intensity of professional involvement in the child’s life, guilt and avoidance strategies were associated with more psychological distress experienced by child victims of sexual abuse. The final hierarchical regression model predicts nearly 41% of the variance on the psychological distress score. Conclusion: The results obtained are in part consistent with current literature. Further research would be needed, particularly to determine whether other components of the child's taking charge trajectory, such as supervised contact with the abuser, can be significantly associated with the psychological distress experienced by those children.

A brief analysis of South African Law relating to intoxication as a defence prior to 1988 is given. This is followed by an in-depth discussion and evaluation of the statutory crime created by section 1 (1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1 of 1988. Various points of criticism against the wording of section 1 (1) as well as the problems with regard to its application in practice are set out. In conclusion a draft for a new, more effective wording for section 1 (1) is given / Criminal & Procedural Law / LL.M. (Criminal & Procedural Law)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:21:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Glaucio Roberto Brittes de Araujo.pdf: 993084 bytes, checksum: 6295e6d1a3544f78c9d40729765efd96 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-01 / This area, are exposed some misconceptions of the legislature in relation to parental bids, as inflation punitive scattered through legislation, rather than simple point releases enough of the Penal Code, such as the advance of the barriers of penal intervention, with the characterization of negligible preparatory acts and conduct abstract and remotely related to the possibility of injury to the interest protected at the expense of the principles of minimum intervention and injury; as the equivalence between an attempt and completion, to the detriment of the principles of culpability and proportionality, as the autonomous classification conduct that would configure as an attempt to more serious crimes or who were under the Penal Code, as over crimes of abstract danger and formal, as the adoption of open standards and penal rules too criminal blank inadequate to achieve the principle of legality, in the form of legal reserve and taxativity; as the pain of penalties for similar infractions of gravity substantially different in relation to injury to the legal and housed, without due attention to the principle of proportionality, and as the criminalization of conduct that could be curbed by Administrative Law sanctioning or intervention, reserving and prestige to the application of prison sentences, depending on the primary functions assigned to it in our times, serious injury or threat to the relevant legal right under the constitutional prism, without yielding to the temptation of building a Symbolic Criminal Law. Eventually, assuming a minimum functionalism, considers it is appropriate to outline the contours of the criminal action, as ultima ratio, but effective, in the area of bid and contract administration in a model of itself guarantees the democratic rule of law, in its dual meaning, ie, the guarantor of both fundamental human rights, as an efficient protection of legal interests relevant to all citizens, in the terms that had been sheltered by the Constitution / Nesta sede, são expostos alguns equívocos do legislador pátrio em relação às licitações, como a inflação punitiva, mediante legislação esparsa, ao invés de simples e suficientes atualizações pontuais do Código Penal; como o adiantamento das barreiras da intervenção penal, com a tipificação despicienda de atos preparatórios e de condutas abstrata e remotamente relacionadas à possibilidade de lesão do interesse tutelado, em detrimento dos princípios da intervenção mínima e da lesividade; como a equiparação entre tentativa e consumação, em prejuízo dos princípios da culpabilidade e da proporcionalidade; como a tipificação autônoma de condutas que já configurariam tentativa de delitos mais graves ou que estariam previstas no Código Penal; como o excesso de crimes de perigo abstrato e formais; como a adoção de tipos demasiadamente abertos e normas penais em branco, inadequada à concretização do princípio da legalidade, na forma de reserva legal e taxatividade; como a cominação de sanções semelhantes para infrações de gravidade substancialmente distinta, em relação à lesão ao bem jurídico albergado, sem a devida atenção ao princípio da proporcionalidade; e como a criminalização de condutas que poderiam ser coibidas pelo Direito Administrativo Sancionador ou de Intervenção, reservando e prestigiando a aplicação de penas privativas de liberdade, consoante as funções primordiais que lhe são atribuídas hodiernamente, para graves lesões ou ameaças a bem jurídicos relevantes, sob o prisma constitucional, sem ceder à tentação da construção de um Direito Penal Simbólico. Por fim, assumindo um funcionalismo mínimo, reputa-se conveniente esboçar os contornos da intervenção penal, como ultima ratio, mas eficaz, na seara de licitações e contratos administrativos, em um modelo de garantias próprio do Estado Democrático de Direito, na sua dúplice acepção, ou seja, garantidor tanto dos direitos fundamentais da pessoa humana, como de uma proteção eficiente dos bens jurídicos relevantes para todos os cidadãos, nos termos em que foram albergados pela Constituição Federal

A brief analysis of South African Law relating to intoxication as a defence prior to 1988 is given. This is followed by an in-depth discussion and evaluation of the statutory crime created by section 1 (1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1 of 1988. Various points of criticism against the wording of section 1 (1) as well as the problems with regard to its application in practice are set out. In conclusion a draft for a new, more effective wording for section 1 (1) is given / Criminal and Procedural Law / LL.M. (Criminal & Procedural Law)