(1) Unless otherwise provided for by law, criminal proceedings shall be discontinued upon the lapse of :

a) Thirty years for offences requiring a penalty of aggravated life imprisonment,

b) Twenty-five years for offences requiring a penalty of life imprisonment,

c) Twenty years for offences requiring a penalty of imprisonment of not less than twenty years,

d) Fifteen years for offences requiring a penalty of imprisonment of more than five years and less than twenty years,

e) Eight years for offences requiring a penalty of imprisonment of not more than five years or a judicial fine.

(2) Criminal proceedings shall be discontinued against those who were between the ages of twelve and fifteen at the time when the crime was committed if half of the above periods are exceeded; and they shall be discontinued for those who were between the ages of fifteen and eighteen at the time when the crime was committed if two-thirds of these periods are exceeded.

(3) In determining the period of limitation, the highest penalty for the qualified version of the offence on the basis of the existing evidence in the file, shall be taken into account.

(4) In determining the periods in the above paragraphs, the maximum penalty available for a particular offence, as stated in the law, shall be taken into account. In offences where there is an alternative penalty, the penalty of imprisonment is taken as the basis with regard to the limitation period.

(5) (Amended on 29 June 2005 – By Article 8 of the Law no. 5377) In the case of a retrial for the same act, the limitation period for that particular act starts again from the date the court accepts the application for the retrial.

(6) For complete offences, the limitation period shall begin on the day the offence was committed; for attempted offences, on the day when the last act was conducted; for continuous offences, on the day when the continuing act ended; for successive offences, on the commission date of the last offence and for crimes committed against children by their direct-ascendant or persons who have influence upon them, the limitation period shall begin on the day when the child turns eighteen years of age.

(7) There shall be no limitation period for offences regulated under chapter IV, volume II of this statute, which are committed abroad and require penalties of aggravated life imprisonment, life imprisonment or imprisonment of more than ten years.