A Preamble on Iran`s Oil and Gas Penal Law

By Rouhollah Khalaji

MA in Corporate Law

Shahrekord University

lawyerkhalaji@hotmail.com

Abstract

In 2012, the Guardian Council of Islamic Republic of Iran has affirmed a law that contains issues with regard to recognition of the penal liability of the public legal entities. Accordingly, the criminal law of oil and gas industries entered into the country’s legal system. Since this law has commercial, industrial, economic and penal aspects, it might be said that would be covered by the commercial penal branch of the law. From Industrial and technical perspective, oil and gas crimes are divided into crimes related to oil and gas and crimes against them. Based on the time of crimes, they are divided into three categories: discovery-related, production-related and distribution and sale-related. The most significant basis for Iran’s penal law of oil and gas is the Act of Protection of the Oil Industry against Disruption and Damage and the New Islamic Penal Law, section Ta’zir. By comparing the Act to the article 19 in the New Islamic Penal law, this article attempts to examine the various aspects of the oil-related crimes including the substantial dimension of those crimes as well as their most important cases. Finally the article highlights the significance of theoretical and applied studies in this legal field and solutions for oil-related crimes.

Keywords:

Crimes Related to Exploration and Production Stages; The Oil  Industry  Against  Disruption and Damage; Penal Liability of Legal Persons; Crimes Related to Oil and Gas; Crimes against Oil and Gas; Oil Facilities.