New article 506-1 of the criminal code

The Law of December 12, 2025, amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, introduces changes to Article 506-1 of the Criminal Code.

This amendment extended the offence of money laundering to the proceeds of all crimes ("crimes" or "délits"). 

Article 506-1 of the Criminal Code now reads as follows:

Art. 506-1. The following shall be punished by imprisonment for one to five years and a fine of €1,250 to €1,250,000, or by one of these penalties alone:

1) those who have knowingly facilitated, by any means, the false justification of the nature, origin, location, disposition, movement, or ownership of the assets referred to in Article 31, paragraph 2, point 1, which are the object or product, direct or indirect, of a crime or offence;

2) those who knowingly assisted in the placement, concealment, disguise, transfer, or conversion of the assets referred to in Article 31, paragraph 2, point 1, which are the object or product, direct or indirect, or constitutes any financial advantage derived from a crime or offence;

3) those who have acquired, held, or used assets referred to in Article 31, paragraph 2, point 1, which are the object or proceeds, direct or indirect, or constitute any financial advantage derived from a crime or offence, knowing, at the time they received them, that they originated from a crime or offence or from participation in a crime or offence.

4) Attempting to commit the offences described in points 1) to 3) above is punishable by the same penalties.

It should be noted that, pursuant to Article 5(1)(a) of the amended law of November 12, 2004, on the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, “The obligation to report suspicious transactions applies without the reporting entities having to qualify the predicate offence.” **

** unofficial translation