On 19 December 2025, the Law of 12 December 2025, amending the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Official Gazette A556 of 15 December 2025), enters into force. This law seeks to strengthen the legal framework for combating crime, (particularly money laundering and terrorist financing) and to adapt criminal procedures in line with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) set out in its report published on 27 September 2023, following its fourth mutual evaluation.
1. The major reform: amendment of Article 506-1 of the Penal Code and expansion of the scope of the money laundering offence
The most significant amendment concerns Article 506-1 of the Penal Code relating to the money laundering offence. The admittedly long, but nonetheless restrictive, list of primary offences has been removed. The text now refers to “any crime or offence” as the underlying offence for money laundering, thereby considerably broadening the scope of offences that can be classified as money laundering.
Prosecuting authorities may now include a separate money laundering charge in most criminal or offence prosecutions.
2. Procedural adjustments: expansion of the “mini-investigation” and new notification rules
Article 24-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure governs what is commonly called the “mini-investigation,” permitting a simplified investigative procedure without the formal opening of a preliminary investigation. This article has been amended to allow the State Prosecutor to request not just one, but several investigative measures simultaneously (searches, seizures, hearings, and expert assessments) from the investigating judge for any offence as well as for the crimes referred to in paragraph 2 of section 1 of the same article.
The list of crimes eligible for this “mini-investigation” has been expanded to also include (i) the fraudulent intent of forgery, as defined in Article 193 of the Penal Code; (ii) corruption and influence peddling, governed by Articles 246, 247, and 249 to 252 of the same code; and (iii) falsifying of financial statements, as defined in Articles 1500-8 and 1500-9 of the amended Law of August 10, 1915, concerning commercial companies.
This expansion allows for parallel investigations into both money laundering activities and underlying offences (particularly high-risk ones), with the objective of expediting financial investigations.
In addition, the public prosecutor’s office may now request additional investigative measures without being subject to the three-month waiting period previously imposed in paragraph 4 of the article 24-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure .
Article 102 of the Code of Criminal Procedure has also been amended to streamline the procedure for indicting individuals subject to an arrest warrant who cannot be located or apprehended by law enforcement. Prior to the Law of 12 December 2025, Article 102 required service of an arrest warrant at the individual’s last known address, followed by the preparation of a search warrant report and an unsuccessful search conducted in the presence of two neighbours. The amendment removes references to the search warrant report, the involvement of neighbours, and the requirement of a last known address, thereby enabling the prosecution of individuals who evade capture and whose last known address and whereabouts are unknown.
Finally, new provisions permit the service of a summons on a legal entity and allow for its subsequent prosecution in the event of non-appearance, thus preventing procedural deadlock.
3. Easing of the requirement to provide reasons for refusing a suspended sentence
Prior to its amendment by the Law of 12 December 2025, Article 195-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure required judges, in both misdemeanour and felony cases, to provide specific reasons when refusing to grant a suspended sentence. Under the new law, this obligation is now limited to correctional matters involving a prison sentence of less than years. The requirement for special justification does not apply when the offender is a repeat offender.