{"id":1814,"date":"2023-07-05T07:31:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T07:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pragal-prinzenberg.de\/unternehmensverteidigung\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T11:23:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T11:23:21","slug":"corporate-defence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/corporate-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Defence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cCorporations cannot make themselves liable to prosecution\u201d \u2013 this is a regularly voiced critique regarding the planned introduction of a corporate criminal code in Germany (see, for instance, the failed Corporate Sanctions Act<\/a> \u2013 VerSanG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are already a variety of business-related sanctions under current law that may require effective counsel from an experienced corporate defence lawyer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through so-called \u201cconfiscation\u201d pursuant to \u00a7 73 StGB<\/a> (so-called \u201casset seizure\u201d), benefits resulting from criminal offences can also be seized from the company itself. A typical case is the seizure of profits from contracts obtained through corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This seizure can already be secured at the beginning of investigation proceedings by seizing accounts (cf. \u00a7 111e StPO<\/a>). Particularly for small and medium-sized companies with low equity, this often poses an existential threat, even though this risk is often overlooked \u2013 and can therefore even devolve into a criminal offence of delaying insolvency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, corporate fines are increasingly being imposed in accordance with \u00a7 30 OWiG<\/a> if company-related obligations have been breached by employees. This breach of obligations can consist of bribery, for example, but also inadequate compliance measures (code of conduct, training, whistleblower system).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These regulations come into full force through \u00a7 17 Abs. 4 OWiG<\/a>, according to which the fine should exceed the economic advantage gained by the offender \u2013 even beyond the standard framework of fines. This has already been demonstrated in a spectacular manner by the imposition of a fine of \u20ac 201 million against Siemens AG by the Munich I Regional Court in October 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is to be expected that \u00a7\u00a7 30<\/a>, 130<\/a> OWiG will increasingly be used as a \u201csubstitute\u201d for the frequently demanded corporate criminal code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The serious consequence of a corporate fine is that, as a rule, it is entered into the central trade register (cf. \u00a7 149 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 GewO<\/a>) or in special corruption registers (\u201cblack lists\u201d) of the federal states or in the competition register established by the Federal Cartel Office<\/a> in accordance with the Competition Register Act<\/a> (WRegG) and thus carries the loss of public sector contracts in its wake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of these serious consequences, it is obvious that the company has its own interests \u2013 which must be distinguished from those of the accused employees \u2013 and that these interests must be protected by a corporate counsel versed in criminal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is ensured, for example, by means of an official company statement that may serve to counter the accusations in factual and legal terms. A frequent objective of the defence is to avert reputational damage by avoiding a main trial in a coordinated approach with the defence lawyers of the accused employees (\u201ccollaborative defence\u201d). If a trial cannot be avoided, the company lawyer will exercise all the rights and options of an individual defence lawyer on behalf of the company involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both lawyers have a proven track record in corporate defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Pragal has contributed his experience in corporate defence in the chapter \u201cStrategische Unternehmensverteidigung\u201d [\u201cStrategic Corporate Defence\u201d] in the handbook \u201cRichtiges Verhalten in der Compliance-Krise<\/a>\u201d [\u201cCorrect Behavior in a Compliance Crisis\u201d] (1st<\/sup> edition 2023; ed.: Dr. Philipp Engelhoven<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cCorporations cannot make themselves liable to prosecution\u201d \u2013 this is a regularly voiced critique regarding the planned introduction of a corporate criminal code in Germany (see, for instance, the failed Corporate Sanctions Act \u2013 VerSanG). However, there are already a variety of business-related sanctions under current law that may require effective counsel from an experienced … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2064,"parent":1804,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1814","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCorporate Defence - Pragal Rechtsanw\u00e4lte<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effective corporate defense: Protection against existential threats such as asset confiscation, fines, and register entries.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/corporate-defence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Corporate Defence - 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