Criminal Law

LAW	Criminal Code
REFERENCE	Legislative Decree 148/1949
DATE OF PROMULGATION	Promulgated by President Husni Zaim on June 22, 1949
RELEVANT PROVISIONS	There are a total of 756 provisions in the Criminal Code. Addresses numerous matters including crimes against one’s person, crimes against property, crimes against the state, crimes related to commerce and finance, intellectual property infringements, corruption in public bodies, etc.
RELATED LEGISLATION
HISTORICAL CONTEXT	During the short-lived 138-day rule of President Husni Zaim, essential pieces of legislation such as the Criminal Code were produced and are still relevant to the present day.

LAW	Economic Criminal Code
REFERENCE	Law 3/2013
DATE OF PROMULGATION	Approved by the People’s Assembly on March 17, 2013 Promulgated by President Bashar Al-Assad on March 20, 2013
RELEVANT PROVISIONS	Deals with crimes of an economic nature. A sample of punishable offences listed in this Law include harming public property, wasting public funds, bribery, smuggling, etc.
RELATED LEGISLATION	Repeals the previous law contained in Legislative Decree 37/1966.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT	This Law was enacted against the backdrop of internal conflict in Syria. Appears to have been enacted in response to a range of crimes committed during the current unrest.

LAW	Money Laundering Law
REFERENCE	Legislative Decree 33/2005
DATE OF PROMULGATION	Promulgated by President Bashar Al-Assad on May 1, 2005
RELEVANT PROVISIONS	Includes a number of offences to bring anti-money laundering legislation in line with international practices. Establishes the Anti-Money Laundering Commission. The Commission has the authority to penalize violators of this Law.
RELATED LEGISLATION	Amendments to Legislative Decree 33/2005 are found in Legislative Decrees 27/2011 and 46/2013.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT	This law was enacted during the time Syria began to gradually liberalize its economy but not before plans for a social market economy were officially announced.