Amendments to the Criminal Code to introduce the crime of piracy were published in a Bill today.

The Bill gives a detailed definition of piracy, which includes "any illegal acts or violence or detention, or any act of depredation committed for private ends by the crew or passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft and directed: on the high seas against another ship or aircraft or against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft ; and against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state."

In terms of the bill, any person found guilty of piracy shall be liable to life imprisonment where there is loss of life; or imprisonment not exceeding 30 years when there is no loss of life.

The Bill says that the Maltese courts shall have jurisdiction over such offences when the they are commited by any citizen of Malta or permanent resident of Malta, any person while on boat , ship or aircraft belonging to Malta, or by any person against any ship, vessel or aircraft beloning to Malta or against the person or property of any citizen or permant resident of Malta.

The Bill also includes new provisions against race-based crime.

It says that violence or racial hatred mean "violence or hatred against a group of persons in Malta defined by reference to colour, race, religion, descent, nationality (including citizenship) or ethnic or national origins or against a member of such a group."

The Bill includes provisions against people convicted of condoning, denying or trivialising genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when this is likely to incite violence or hatred or disturb public order. The punishment shall be imprisonment for between eight months and two years.

The same penalty applies to anyone whose conduct is likely to incite to violence or hatred against such a group or likely to disturb public order or which is threatening, abusive or insulting.

General provisions applicable to offences which are racially aggravated or motivated by xenophobia provide that the punishment shall be increased by one or two degrees.