Criminal
Received French criminal law, partially recodified
The Penal Code descends from the French code of 1810 as received and amended, with modern statutes layered on for terrorism, corruption and money laundering. Recodification has been announced repeatedly without a consolidated replacement in force.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunaux de grande instance and Cours d'appel; the Cour suprême reviews.
- Deadline — Garde à vue: 72 hours in ordinary cases
- Deadline — Appeal: ten days from judgment
Governing law
- Code pénalas received and amended
- Code de procédure pénale
- Loi n° 1-2012 relative à la lutte contre le blanchiment et le financement du terrorisme
In practice
Because no consolidated modern penal code has replaced the received text, Congolese criminal practice depends heavily on locating the correct amending statute — a recurring difficulty that AfricanLII's gazette archive partly addresses.