《刑法》第 15 条对诉讼时效做出了规定。对于可判处 10 年以上监禁的罪行， 诉讼时效期为 20 年；对判处 3 个月以上 10 年以下监禁的罪行，诉讼时效期为 5 年。因此，贿赂、洗钱和妨害司法罪的诉讼时效期将为 5 年。瓦努阿图当局认 识到所规定的诉讼时效相对较短。
The statute of limitations is established in section 15 of PC. For offences which are punishable by more than 10 years’ imprisonment, the limitations period is 20 years; for more than 3 months but not more than 10 years’ imprisonment, the statute of limitations is 5 years. For bribery, money-laundering and obstruction of justice, the statute of limitations would therefore be 5 years. Vanuatu authorities acknowledged that the time frames foreseen were relatively short.