Theft is the fraudulent appropriation of property belonging to another person.
This offence is provided for and punishable under Article 311-1 of the French Criminal Code.
It is punishable by 3 years’ imprisonment and a fine of €45,000, and aggravating circumstances may apply. However, certain exemptions from criminal liability are possible.
Abuse of vulnerability, as its name suggests, consists of taking advantage of a person by exploiting their lack of knowledge or their physical or mental vulnerability.
This offence is provided for and punishable under Articles 223-15-2 et seq. of the French Criminal Code.
Blackmail is the act of obtaining, by threatening to reveal or allege facts likely to damage a person’s honour or reputation, either a signature, commitment or waiver, the disclosure of a secret, or the handing over of funds, valuables or property of any kind.
Blackmail (and attempted blackmail) is punishable by 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of €75,000. Where the threat is carried out, the applicable penalties are increased.
Murder, provided for and punishable under Article 221-1 of the French Criminal Code, is defined as “the intentional killing of another person”. It is punishable by 30 years’ imprisonment or, under certain circumstances, life imprisonment.
Premeditated murder, provided for and punishable under Article 221-3 of the French Criminal Code, is murder committed with the aggravating circumstance of premeditation and/or lying in wait. It is punishable by life imprisonment.
The European Arrest Warrant is a judicial decision issued by a Member State of the European Union (the issuing Member State) for the purpose of the arrest and surrender by another Member State (the executing Member State) of a person sought for the purposes of conducting a criminal prosecution or executing a custodial sentence or detention order.
Extradition is the procedure by which one State, the requested State, agrees to surrender a person located on its territory to another State, the requesting State, which is seeking that person in order to prosecute them for the commission of a crime or an offense, or to enforce a sentence already imposed for such a crime or offense.
Sexual exhibition imposed upon the sight of another person in a place visible to the public is punishable by one year’s imprisonment and a fine of €15,000.
The offence of sexual exhibition is also established where the explicit performance of a sexual act, whether real or simulated, is imposed upon the sight of another person in a place visible to the public (even where no naked part of the body is exposed).
A criminal record is a national record containing all convictions handed down against an individual, whether a simple fine or a custodial sentence.
It is possible to apply for the expungement of a criminal record where the legal requirements are met.
Procuring is a criminal offence involving facilitating or profiting from the prostitution of another person. Several acts may constitute or be treated as procuring, whether directly or indirectly.
Where there are no aggravating circumstances, perpetrators are liable to 7 years’ imprisonment, a fine of €150,000 and additional penalties.
Rape, provided for and punishable under Articles 222-23 et seq. of the French Criminal Code, is a felony defined as “any act of sexual penetration, of whatever nature, or any oral-genital act committed on another person or on the perpetrator by violence, coercion, threat or surprise”.
Rape is punishable by 15 years’ imprisonment, increased to 20 years where aggravating circumstances exist.