Criminal Code (Arab Union)

The Criminal Code (Arabic: القانون الجنائي al-qānūn al-jinā’ī) is the primary legislation governing criminal law and its application in the Union of Arab Republics (UAR; informally the Arab Union). It was passed by the Arab Congress on 10 April 1991; according to the Constitution of the Arab Union, criminal law is under the sole legislative jurisdiction of the Arab Union federal government's legislative branch (the Arab Congress), while the republican congresses (the legislatures of each of the union's 20 republics) are responsible for non-criminal (civil) law, like family law, business law and torts. However, while criminal law is developed at the federal level, the republics handle the vast majority of executive law enforcement (the enforcement of the Criminal Code) via the respective republic's national police. However, federal agencies such as the Arab Union Sheriff Service, the Joint Security Committee and the Ministry of Customs and Immigration have full jurisdiction to enforce the Criminal Code at the federal level.