Title XXV: Procedure applicable to organised crime and delinquency and to felonies

Articles in this section · 3

Article 706-73-1

French Code of Criminal ProcedureIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

This Title, with the exception of Article 706-88, shall also apply to the investigation, prosecution, trial and judgment of the following offences:

1° Offence of swindling in an organised gang, provided for in the last paragraph of Article 313-2 du code pénal, délit d'atteinte aux systèmes de traitement automatisé de données commis en bande organisée, prévu à l'article 323-4-1 du même code et délit d'évasion commis en bande organisée prévu au second alinéa de l'article 434-30 dudit code ;

2° Délits de dissimulation d'activités ou de salariés, de recours aux services d'une personne exercçant un travail dissimulé, de marchandage de main-d'œuvre, de prêt illicite de main-d'œuvre ou d'emploi d'étranger sans titre de travail, commis en bande organisée, prévus aux 1° et 3° de l'article L. 8221-1 and articles L. 8221-3, L. 8221-5, L. 8224-1, L. 8224-2, L. 8231-1, L. 8234-1, L. 8234-2, L. 8241-1, L. 8243-1, L. 8243-2, L. 8251-1 and L. 8256-2 of the Labour Code;

3° Money laundering offences, provided for in Article 324-1 of the Criminal Code, or handling stolen goods, provided for in Articles 321-1 et 321-2 du même code, du produit, des revenus ou des choses provenant des infractions mentionnés aux 1° et 2° du présent article;

3° bis Délits de blanchiment prévus à l'article 324-2 of the Criminal Code, with the exception of those mentioned in 14° of Article 706-73 du présent code;

4° Délits d'association de malfaiteurs, prévus à l'article 450-1 of the Penal Code, when their purpose is the preparation of one of the offences mentioned in 1° to 3° of this article;

5° Offence of failing to provide proof of resources corresponding to one's lifestyle, provided for in Article 321-6-1 of the Criminal Code, when it is related to one of the offences mentioned in 1° to 4° of this article ;

6° Offences relating to the import, export, transit, transport, possession, sale, acquisition or exchange of cultural property provided for in Article 322-3-2 of the Penal Code.

7° Offences of damage to the natural heritage committed in an organised gang, provided for in Article L. 415-6 of the Environment Code;

8° Offences of trafficking in plant protection products committed in an organised gang, provided for in 3° of Article L. 253-17-1, au II des articles L. 253-15 and L. 253-16 and in III of article L. 254-12 du code rural et de la pêche maritime;

9° Délits relatifs aux déchets mentionnés au I de l'article L. 541-46 of the Environment Code committed in an organised gang, provided for in VII of the same article;

10° Offence of participation in the running of a gambling house committed in an organised gang, provided for in the first paragraph of article L. 324-1 of the Internal Security Code and the offences of importing, manufacturing, possessing, making available to third parties, installing and operating gambling machines or games of skill committed in an organised gang, provided for in the first paragraph of Article L. 324-4 of the same code;

11° Délits portant atteinte aux intérêts fondamentaux de la nation prévus aux articles 411-5,411-7 and 411-8, to the first two paragraphs of Article 412-2, to Article 413-1 and the third paragraph of Article 413-13 of the Criminal Code ;

12° Offences of administering an online platform to enable the transfer of products, content or services whose transfer, offer, acquisition or possession are manifestly unlawful and offences of intermediation or sequestration whose sole or main purpose is to implement, conceal or facilitate these operations, provided for in Article 323-3-2 of the same code.

Mariela Petrova

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Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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