Andorra Parliament Unanimously Backs Criminal Penalties for Obstructing Investigation Committees

Andorra's General Council has achieved unanimous support from all parliamentary groups for criminal penalties targeting those who fail to appear, lie, or withhold documents from investigation committees.

The measures, part of a broader parliamentary rules review, rename existing inquiry committees as investigation committees and introduce enforcement through amendments to article 358 of the Penal Code. This effort runs alongside government-proposed Penal Code changes. Concòrdia councillor Jordi Casadevall, speaking for the groups on Wednesday, confirmed the consensus and noted that Demòcrates per Andorra will draft the amendment using its legal team. The joint proposal will be presented as an amendment on Thursday.

The amendment adds three offenses to the obstruction article: refusing to appear when summoned; obstructing or refusing to provide requested documents, especially by public officials; and giving false testimony. Non-appearance or document refusal carries up to one year in prison or house arrest, plus a two-year public office ban for officials. False testimony penalties range from six months to two years in prison, with the same disqualification.

Suspected violations would prompt committees to forward cases to the Public Prosecutor's Office for review. Casadevall described document failures as clear-cut, while falsehood allegations would require prosecutorial investigation. Committees could suspend proceedings if cases go to court.

The rules target nationals and residents appearing before investigation committees only, not other parliamentary bodies where such issues are unlikely, Casadevall added. The initial idea came from Concòrdia, but all groups endorsed it, highlighting the rare cross-party unity.