Act Establishing Prescriptive Periods for Violations of Special Laws and Municipal Ordinances
Act No. 3326, as amended
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH PERIODS OF PRESCRIPTION FOR VIOLATIONS PENALIZED BY SPECIAL ACTS AND MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES AND TO PROVIDE WHEN PRESCRIPTION SHALL BEGIN TO RUN.
SECTION 1. — Violations penalized by special acts shall, unless otherwise provided in such acts, prescribe in accordance with the following rules:
- After a year for offenses punished only by a fine or by imprisonment for not more than one month, or both;
- After four years for those punished by imprisonment for more than one month, but less than two years;
- After eight years for those punished by imprisonment for two years or more, but less than six years; and
- After twelve years for any other offense punished by imprisonment for six years or more, except the crime of treason, which shall prescribe after twenty years: Provided, however, That all offenses against any law or part of law administered by the Bureau of Internal Revenue shall prescribe after five years.
Violations penalized by municipal ordinances shall prescribe after two months.
(As amended by Act No. 3585 and by Act No. 3763, approved November 23, 1930.)
SEC. 2. — Prescription shall begin to run from the day of the commission of the violation of the law, and if the same be not known at the time, from the discovery thereof and until the institution of judicial proceedings for its investigation and punishment.
The prescription shall be interrupted when proceedings are instituted against the guilty person, and shall begin to run again if the proceedings are dismissed for reasons not constituting jeopardy.
SEC. 3. — This Act shall apply to offenses defined and penalized by special laws, except as otherwise provided in such laws.
SEC. 4. — This Act shall take effect on its approval.
Approved: December 4, 1926