French law criminalizes both private and public sector bribery. Under French law a court can impose fines, certain discretionary penalties and sentences of up to 10 years imprisonment.

For the most complex cases, including most transnational corruption cases, the National Financial Prosecution Service (Parquet national financier or “PNF”) will be responsible for prosecutions, assisted by the Central Office for the Fight Against Corruption and Financial and Tax Crimes, a police department specializing in domestic and international corruption and other complex criminal cases. Less complex cases are handled by the Public Prosecutor.