The Evolution of Document Forgery in Iran and Its Impact on the Validity of Transactions in Light of the Link Between Private and Criminal Law
Keywords:
document forgery, validity of transactions, criminal law, private law, legal interconnection.Abstract
Document forgery is among the crimes situated at the intersection of criminal law and private law, as it simultaneously undermines public trust in documentary and transactional systems and destabilizes the legal validity of contracts and transactions. This study, adopting an analytical–comparative approach, examines the evolution of the crime of forgery in the Iranian legal system and explicates its effects on the validity and enforceability of civil transactions in light of the interconnection between the domains of private and criminal law. First, the concept of forgery and its distinction from similar offenses in Islamic jurisprudence (Imamiyyah school) and Iranian legislation are discussed. Subsequently, the historical developments are analyzed from the era of the 1925 Penal Code to the 2013 Islamic Penal Code. The study then explores the material and moral elements of forgery and its implications for the principles of validity and binding force of contracts from the perspective of civil law. The findings reveal that the lack of coordination between criminal and civil procedures in addressing forged documents constitutes one of the fundamental challenges of Iran’s legal system. Finally, the research emphasizes the necessity of enacting a comprehensive law concerning forgery and electronic documents and establishing unified judicial practice to ensure legal security and public trust. The research method is descriptive–analytical and based on library studies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Sirous Bigdeli, Samira Sadat Dowlatabadi (Author)
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