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Section 1: Transmission and enforcement of confiscation orders pursuant to the Framework Decision of the Council of the European Union of 6 October 2006

Article 713 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

A confiscation order is a final penalty or measure ordered by a court in a Member State of the European Union, referred to as the issuing State, following proceedings in respect of one or more criminal offences, resulting in the permanent deprivation of one or more items of property. The judicial authority shall be competent, in accordance with the rules and conditions laid down in this section, to transmit to…

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Article 713-1 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

Confiscation orders which may give rise to transmission to or enforcement in another State are those which confiscate property, movable or immovable, tangible or intangible, as well as any legal instrument or document evidencing title to or interest in such property, on the grounds: 1° That they constitute the instrument or object of an offence; 2° That they constitute the proceeds of an offence or correspond in whole or in…

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Article 713-2 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

Any confiscation order shall be accompanied by a certificate drawn up by the competent authority of the issuing State comprising the following particulars: 1° The identification of the issuing State; 2° The identification of the court in the issuing State that issued the order; 3° The identity of the natural or legal persons against whom the confiscation order was issued; 4° Data making it possible to identify the property that…

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Article 713-4 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

The confiscation order or certified copy thereof and the certificate shall, subject to the second subparagraph, be transmitted by the competent authority of the issuing State directly to the competent authority of the executing State by any means which leaves a written record under conditions allowing that authority to verify their authenticity. Where a Member State of the European Union has made a declaration to this effect, the confiscation order…

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Article 713-5 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

The public prosecutor at the court which ordered the confiscation shall draw up the relevant certificate and shall transmit the decision and the certificate, in accordance with the procedures referred to in Article 713-4, to the competent authority of the competent State or States pursuant to articles 713-6 to 713-10. This transmission does not prevent confiscation from being carried out, in whole or in part, on the territory of the…

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Article 713-6 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

In principle, the confiscation order is transmitted for enforcement to a single State. If the confiscation order relates to specific items of property, the public prosecutor shall transmit it, together with the certificate, to the competent authority of the executing State in which he has reason to believe that the property is located.

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Article 713-7 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

However, if the public prosecutor has reason to believe that the confiscation of a specific item of property involves action in several States, or that one or more items covered by the confiscation order are located in different States, he or she shall transmit the confiscation order and the certificate to the competent authorities of those States.

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Article 713-8 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

If the confiscation order concerns a sum of money, the Public Prosecutor shall forward it, together with the certificate, to the competent authority of the State in which he has reason to believe that the natural or legal person possesses property or income. However, the Public Prosecutor may send the confiscation order to several States where, for particular reasons, he considers it necessary to do so. The total amount of…

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Article 713-9 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

If there is no means of determining the State in which the assets or income of the person against whom the order has been issued are located, the public prosecutor shall transmit the confiscation order and the certificate to the competent authority of the State in which the person concerned has his habitual residence or registered office.

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