Short answer. Article 214 adds an accessory penalty ranging from temporary special disqualification in its maximum period to perpetual special disqualification, imposed on top of whatever penalty the underlying fraud provision already prescribes. It applies specifically to a public officer who commits the fraud by taking advantage of his official position.
What the law says
In addition to the penalties prescribed in the provisions of Chapter Six, Title Ten, Book Two, of this Code, the penalty of temporary special disqualification in its maximum period to perpetual special disqualification shall be imposed upon any public officer who, taking advantage of his official position, shall commit any of the frauds or deceits enumerated in said provisions.
Revised Penal Code, Article 214 — Other Frauds By Officials. Read the full provision →
An additional penalty, not a replacement one
Article 214 makes clear this disqualification comes in addition to the penalties prescribed in the provisions of Chapter Six, Title Ten, Book Two, of this Code. It does not replace or reduce whatever penalty the underlying fraud provision already imposes; it stacks on top of it. A public officer convicted of one of those frauds faces both the penalty specifically fixed for that fraud and this separate disqualification.
The disqualification range: maximum temporary to perpetual
The penalty itself spans a specific range: temporary special disqualification in its maximum period to perpetual special disqualification. This is not a single fixed disqualification but a graduated range, running from the harshest end of a temporary disqualification up to a disqualification that never expires, depending on the circumstances of the offense and how the range is applied by the court that convicts the officer.
Who this applies to: an officer who exploits his position
Article 214 is not aimed at fraud in general — it targets the specific case of a public officer who, taking advantage of his official position, commits one of the frauds or deceits the underlying provisions enumerate. The extra disqualification exists because the office itself was the tool used to carry out the fraud, which the law treats as more serious than the same fraud committed by someone without that position to exploit.
Why an additional disqualification makes sense here
Beyond punishing the specific act of fraud, this accessory penalty addresses the risk that an officer who abused his position once could do so again if left in a position of public trust. By adding a disqualification on top of whatever the fraud itself carries, Article 214 responds to the fact that the offense involved a betrayal of official position, not merely private wrongdoing, and treats that betrayal as warranting exclusion from holding public office for a defined or indefinite period going forward.