Penal Code

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Any person who, by virtue of a warrant or a court decision, is lawfully arrested or detained for a felony or misdemeanour and escapes or attempts to escape, whether from places assigned to detention by the competent authority, from the place of work, or during a transfer, shall be liable to imprisonment of one to three months. T… Show more

The penalty imposed, in application of the provisions of the preceding article, against a detained person who has escaped or attempted to escape shall be cumulative, by way of derogation from article 120, with any temporary custodial sentence imposed for the offence that led to the arrest or detention. If the prosecution of that… Show more

Commanders-in-chief or subordinate commanders, whether of the Gendarmerie, the armed forces or the police, serving as escort or garrisoning posts, officials of the prison administration and all other persons entrusted with guarding or transporting prisoners shall be liable, in the event of negligence that allowed or facilitated an escape, to imprisonment of one month to two years.

Any person designated in the preceding article who procures or facilitates the escape of a prisoner, or attempts to do so, even without the prisoner's knowledge and even if that escape was neither carried out nor attempted by the prisoner, shall be guilty of connivance in an escape and liable to imprisonment of two to five years… Show more

Persons other than those designated in article 311 who have procured or facilitated an escape, or attempted to do so, shall be liable, even if the escape is not carried out, to imprisonment of one to six months and a fine of 200122 to 500 dirhams. If there has been corruption of guards or connivance with them, the imprisonment s… Show more

All those who knowingly procured or facilitated an escape shall be jointly and severally liable to pay damages owed to the victim or to the victim's entitled persons, in compensation for the harm caused by the offence for which the escaped person was detained.

Any person who, for having facilitated an escape or an attempted escape, is sentenced to imprisonment of more than six months may, in addition, be subject to deprivation of one or more of the rights mentioned in article 40 and to a prohibition of residence not exceeding five years.

Any person shall be liable to imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 2.000 to 10.000 dirhams, which fine may not be less than twenty-five percent of the amount of the cheque or of the insufficient provision: 1) the drawer of a cheque who fails to maintain or constitute the provision for the cheque with a view to its pay… Show more

Any person who, having been sentenced to the criminal penalty of forced residence defined in article 25, leaves, without authorization from the competent authority, the place or perimeter assigned to him, shall be punished by imprisonment of one to five years.

If the offence provided for in the preceding article is committed by a person who has been assigned to forced residence as a security measure pursuant to article 61, he shall be punished by imprisonment of six months to two years.

Any person who, having been subject to a prohibition of residence measure duly notified, appears in one of the places prohibited to him, shall be punished by imprisonment of six months to two years.

Any person who, pursuant to the provisions of articles 78, 79 or 136, has been made subject to a decision of hospitalization in a psychiatric establishment, evades execution of that measure, shall be punished by imprisonment of three months to one year and by a fine of 200123 to 500 dirhams.

Any person who, pursuant to the provisions of article 80, has been made subject to a decision of placement in a therapeutic establishment, 123 - Ibid. - -, evades execution of that measure, shall be punished by imprisonment of one to six months and by a fine of 200124 to 500 dirhams. The prison sentence thus pronounced shall be… Show more

Any person who, pursuant to the provisions of article 83, has been made subject to a judicial placement decision in an agricultural colony, evades execution of that measure, shall be punished by imprisonment of two months to one year. The prison sentence pronounced shall be executed immediately. Its duration shall not be deducted from that of the placement measure to which the escapee was subject.

Any person who, pursuant to the provisions of article 86, has been prohibited from exercising, even temporarily, any public functions or offices, evades execution of that measure, shall be punished by the penalties set out in article 262. The same penalties shall be applicable to any person who evades execution of a measure prohibiting the exercise of a profession, activity or art, pronounced pursuant to article 87.

Text available in Arabic only.Show in Arabic

Text available in Arabic only.Show in Arabic

Any person designated in article 90 - paragraph 2 - who, in violation of the decision to close a commercial or industrial establishment, contravenes the provisions of the said paragraph, shall be punished by imprisonment of one to six months and by a fine of 200 to 2.000 dirhams.

Any person who, knowingly, removes, conceals or tears up, in whole or in part, posters affixed in execution of a judicial decision taken pursuant to article 48, shall be punished by imprisonment of six days to one month and by a fine of 200126 to 250 dirhams. The provisions of the judgment relating to posting shall be carried ou… Show more

Shall be punished by imprisonment of one to six months any person who, having means of subsistence or being able to procure them through work or in any other lawful manner, habitually engages in begging in any place whatsoever.

The following shall be punished by imprisonment of three months to one year: all beggars, even disabled or without resources, who solicit charity: 1° either by using threats; 2° or by simulating wounds or infirmity; 3° or by habitually being accompanied by one or more young children other than their own descendants; 126 - see ab… Show more

Those who, either openly or under the appearance of a profession, employ children under thirteen years of age in begging shall be punished by the penalty provided for in the preceding article.

Shall be guilty of vagrancy and punished by imprisonment of one to six months any person who, having neither a certain domicile nor means of subsistence, habitually exercises neither trade nor profession although fit for work, and who does not prove that he has sought work or who has refused remunerated work offered to him.

The father, mother, testamentary guardian, dative guardian, kafil or employer and generally any person having authority over a child or ensuring his protection who delivers, even free of charge, the child, the ward, the abandoned child subject to kafala or the apprentice under eighteen years of age to a vagrant or to one or more… Show more

The penalties provided for in article 316 shall be applicable, with regard to the means of payment covered by this Title, to: 1) those who have counterfeited or falsified a means of payment; 2) those who, knowingly, have used or attempted to use a counterfeit or falsified means of payment; 3) those who, knowingly, have agreed to receive payment by a counterfeit or falsified means of payment.

Any vagrant who commits or attempts to commit any act of violence whatsoever against persons shall be punished by imprisonment of one to five years, unless, by reason of the nature of such violence, a heavier penalty is incurred by application of another criminal provision.

The prohibition of residence may be pronounced for a period of five years against the perpetrators of the offences provided for in articles 331 and 332 above. CHAPTER VI OF FORGERIES, COUNTERFEITING AND USURPATIONS (Articles 334 to 391) SECTION I OF THE COUNTERFEITING OR FALSIFICATION OF CURRENCIES OR PUBLIC CREDIT INSTRUMENTS (Articles 334 to 341)

Is punished with perpetual reclusion whoever counterfeits, falsifies or alters: Either metallic currencies, or paper money, having legal tender in Morocco or abroad; Or securities, bonds or obligations, issued by the Public Treasury with its stamp or mark, or interest coupons relating to these securities, bonds or obligations. - -

Are punished with the penalty laid down in the preceding article those who, in any manner whatsoever, have knowingly participated in the issuance, distribution, sale or introduction into the territory of the Kingdom of the currencies, securities, bonds or obligations designated in the said article.

Benefits from an absolutory excuse under the conditions provided for in articles 143 to 145, that one of the culprits of the crimes mentioned in the two preceding articles who, before the consummation of these crimes and before any prosecution, has given knowledge thereof to the authorities and has revealed the identity of the p… Show more

Is punished with imprisonment of six months to three years whoever colours currencies having legal tender in Morocco or abroad, with the aim of deceiving as to the nature of the metal, or issues or introduces into the territory of the Kingdom currencies thus coloured. The same penalty is incurred by those who have participated in the colouring, issuance or introduction of the said currencies.

Is not punishable the person who, having received, believing them authentic, metallic currencies or paper money, counterfeited, falsified, altered or coloured, puts them back into circulation in ignorance of their defect. Whoever puts the said currencies back into circulation after having discovered the defect is punished with imprisonment of one to six months and a fine equal to four times the sum thus put back into circulation.

The manufacture, issuance, distribution, sale or introduction into the territory of the Kingdom of monetary tokens intended to supplement or replace currencies having legal tender, is punished with - - imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 500 to 20.000 dirhams.

Whoever manufactures, acquires, holds or transfers products or material intended for the manufacture, counterfeiting or falsification of currencies or public credit instruments is punished, if the act does not constitute a more serious offence, with imprisonment of two to five years and a fine of 250 to 5.000 dirhams.

For the offences referred to in articles 334 and 338 to 340, the court of judgment must compulsorily pronounce the confiscation provided for in articles 43, 44 and 89. SECTION II OF THE COUNTERFEITING OF THE SEALS OF THE STATE AND OF PUNCHES, STAMPS AND MARKS (Articles 342 to 350)

Is punished with perpetual reclusion whoever counterfeits the seal of the State or makes use of the counterfeited seal. The absolutory excuse provided for in article 336 is applicable to the culprit of the crime referred to in the paragraph above.

Is punished with reclusion of five to twenty years whoever counterfeits or falsifies, either one or more national stamps, or one or more hammers of the State used for forestry marks, or one or more punches used for marking gold or silver materials, or who makes use of the falsified or counterfeited stamps, papers, hammers or punches.

Is punished with reclusion of five to twenty years whoever, having improperly procured genuine stamps, hammers or punches of the State designated in the preceding article, makes an application or use thereof prejudicial to the rights and interests of the State. - -

Is punished, if the act does not constitute a more serious offence, with imprisonment of one to six months and a fine of 200128 to 1.000 dirhams or with only one of these two penalties, whoever: 1° Manufactures the seals, stamps, cachets or marks of the State or of any authority whatsoever without the written order of the duly a… Show more

Is punished with imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 250 to 10.000 dirhams whoever: 1° Counterfeits the marks intended to be affixed in the name of the Government or of a public service on the various kinds of foodstuffs or merchandise or who makes use of these false marks; 2° Counterfeits the seal, stamp or mark of… Show more

Is punished with imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of 250 to 5.000 dirhams whoever, having improperly procured genuine seals, marks or printed forms provided for in the preceding article, makes or attempts to make a fraudulent application or use thereof. The culprit may, in addition, be struck with the prohibi… Show more

Is punished by imprisonment from two months to one year and by a fine of 200129 to 1.000 dirhams whoever: 1° knowingly uses postage stamps, mobile stamps or stamped papers or forms that have already been used, or who, by any means, alters stamps for the purpose of removing them from cancellation and thereby enabling their subseq… Show more

Is punished by imprisonment from one to six months and by a fine of 200130 to 2.000 dirhams or by only one of these two penalties whoever: 1° manufactures, sells, hawks or distributes any objects, printed matter or forms obtained by any process whatsoever which, by their external form, present a resemblance to metallic coins or… Show more

For the offences defined in this Section, the trial court must mandatorily order the confiscation provided for in Articles 43, 44 and 89. SECTION III OF FORGERY IN PUBLIC OR AUTHENTIC WRITINGS (Articles 351 to 356)

Forgery in writings is the fraudulent alteration of the truth, of a nature to cause harm and committed in a writing by one of the means determined by law.

Any magistrate, any public official, any notary or adel who, in the exercise of his functions, has committed forgery: either by false signatures; or by alteration of instruments, writings or signatures; or by supposition or substitution of persons; or by writings made or intercalated in registers or other public instruments, after their preparation or closure, is punished by perpetual reclusion.

Any magistrate, any public official, any notary or adel who, in drafting instruments of his function, fraudulently alters their substance or circumstances, whether by writing agreements other than those drawn up or dictated by the parties, or by recording as true facts that he knew to be false, or by attesting as having been adm… Show more

Any person other than those designated in the preceding Article who commits forgery in an authentic and public writing: either by counterfeiting or altering writing or a signature; or by fabricating agreements, provisions, obligations or discharges, or by inserting them subsequently into such instruments; or by adding, omitting… Show more

Any person not party to the instrument who makes before adoul a declaration that he knew to be contrary to the truth is punished by imprisonment from one to five years and a fine of 200131 to 500 dirhams. However, a person who, having made before adoul, as a witness, a declaration contrary to the truth, retracts before any harm… Show more