Corporate Criminal Liability Defense

Overview

The Czech Republic introduced criminal liability of legal entities (companies and organizations) in 2011. Under the Corporate Criminal Liability Act, a company can be criminally prosecuted for a range of offenses — including corruption, tax crime, environmental crime, money laundering, and fraud — where the offense was committed in the company's interest or as part of its activities.

A criminal conviction of a company can result in severe sanctions including liquidation, prohibition of activity, confiscation of property, and significant fines. Individual members of management may face parallel prosecution for the same conduct. Understanding how to manage a defense at both the corporate and individual level is critical.

Our Representation

We represent companies and their management in corporate criminal proceedings. Our legal assistance includes:

• advice when a company first comes under investigation
• representation of the company as a defendant in criminal proceedings
• coordinating the defense of the company and its individual executives
• challenging the legal basis for attributing criminal liability to the company
• review of evidence and internal documents
• negotiating with prosecutors on resolutions
• defending against corporate sanctions at trial and on appeal

We understand the dual dimension of corporate criminal cases — protecting both the company as an institution and the individuals who run it. Our approach is strategic, thorough, and focused on minimizing the exposure of all parties.

Foreign Clients

Foreign-owned companies operating in the Czech Republic are subject to the Corporate Criminal Liability Act in the same way as Czech companies. We advise foreign parent companies, boards, and executives in English, Polish, French, and German and help them understand and manage their exposure under Czech criminal law.