Administrative punishment and its types

Administrative punishment is a measure of liability applied to a person who committed an administrative offence; its aim is to educate the offender in the spirit of obeying and respecting the law and to prevent new offences by that person and by others. The types of punishment under the Code are: a fine; taking away an item with payment for it; confiscation of an item; deprivation of a special right (for example the right to drive or to hunt); administrative arrest; and administrative expulsion of a foreign citizen or stateless person from the country. Administrative arrest is the most severe measure, imposed only by a judge and for a short period (up to 15 days in normal conditions). The fine is the most common punishment: its amount is set in relation to the base calculated value (BHM), which the government adjusts from time to time; the time and manner of paying a fine are set by the Code, with separate periods for traffic offences recorded by automatic cameras. The fine of a 16–18-year-old with no independent income is collected from the parents or persons replacing them. Administrative cases are heard by judges for administrative cases, internal affairs bodies, fire-supervision bodies and other authorised bodies; the person has the right to give an explanation, to have a defender and to appeal the decision.