Although the law does not contain a definition of economic and corruption criminal law, these are two essential areas of criminal law.
In white collar criminal law, one has to deal with facts such as embezzlement, fraud, fraudulent bankruptcy, anti-competitive agreements, money laundering or accounting offenses. Corruption offenses include, for example, abuse of office, bribery, corruption, acceptance of benefits and prohibited intervention.
In practice, white-collar and corruption criminal proceedings are characterized above all by their complexity, scope and duration. On the part of the prosecuting authorities, the Central Public Prosecutor’s Office for White-Collar Crime and Corruption (WKStA) and special units of the criminal investigation department (e.g. the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption) are often involved in these areas.
One of the main tasks of criminal defense in white-collar and corruption criminal proceedings is to examine and process complex facts and to communicate the defense arguments to law enforcement authorities and courts in a comprehensible and sound manner. The development, preparation and implementation of a defense strategy is also of particular importance. This may also require the involvement and coordination of private experts, PR and media consultants, IT experts, etc.
Our law firm has many years of (defense) experience in this context, the necessary expertise and network. Since our law firm is active in all areas of criminal law, we also provide the fundamental expertise that is the basis of a successful defense in white-collar and corruption criminal cases. Thanks to our concept as a defense law firm, you benefit from the full strength of our team.
House searches
The beginning of criminal proceedings is often decisive for their outcome. That is why it is particularly important at this stage to make the right decisions, choose the right strategy and take the right (defensive) steps.
The accused (or otherwise affected parties) often learn of the criminal proceedings for the first time in connection with the execution of house searches. House searches are therefore usually surprising and represent a great burden.
Our team is available to assist those affected as quickly as possible. This takes the pressure out of these situations and ensures that your rights and defense options are protected in the best possible way.
We recommend that you insist on the involvement of a lawyer and ask the investigating authorities to wait with the house search until the lawyer arrives.
Our team will take care of everything else.
Investigative committee
In recent years, there have been numerous committees of inquiry at both the federal and state level.
Committees of inquiry deal with events in the area of law enforcement and are intended to review certain developments or decisions that have been made. In principle, the aim is to determine political responsibility.
The core function of the committees of inquiry is to question respondents, who may call in a trusted person for this purpose.
In view of the fact that respondents are often also the focus of the criminal prosecution authorities and fear criminal prosecution, legal advice and preparation in advance of an interview is recommended.
Our law firm is at your side in this context, both in the run-up to an interview and during the interview itself. In addition to safeguarding your rights and interests, we ensure that the risk of criminal liability under § 288 StGB (Austrian Criminal Code) for making a false statement before an investigative committee is minimized.
Financial Criminal Law
Violations of tax laws can also lead to criminal consequences and sanctions. Regardless of its affiliation with criminal law, tax criminal law is first and foremost tax law. Accordingly, tax advisors and lawyers specializing in tax law are primarily active in this area. The court will prosecute willful financial crimes involving evasion of more than EUR 150,000.
In this context, at the latest, tax law expertise alone is no longer sufficient. In particular, in the area of judicial financial criminal proceedings, successful defense and protection of interests requires comprehensive criminal law know-how.
Our law firm is regularly consulted as a defense attorney in (judicial) financial criminal proceedings and ensures the necessary criminal law expertise.
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Hardly any other area of legal practice is as complex and challenging as defense and advice in criminal cases. It is not uncommon for the freedom and liberty of those affected to be at stake. The consequences of a criminal conviction are often severe. From the outset, criminal proceedings represent an exceptional situation of immense stress for those affected. As a law firm specializing exclusively in criminal law, we ensure that our criminal defense and our clients benefit from this high standard.
Learn moreThis is the part of the legal system that deals with defining crimes and the penalties for them. It determines which actions are considered punishable and what the consequences are. General criminal law includes crimes such as murder, robbery, assault, theft, property damage, and bodily injury, among many others.
Learn moreSince January 1, 2006, legal entities and partnerships (i.e. companies or associations) can be held criminally liable under Austrian law, in addition to natural persons/individuals. Accordingly, companies or associations can be subject to criminal prosecution – just like natural persons/individuals. The specific regulations regarding the criminal liability of companies or associations can be found in the Corporate Criminal Liability Act.
Learn moreIt should not be overlooked that in connection with criminal offenses there are often also parties who may have suffered damages as a result of the respective criminal act. The criminal laws refer to these affected persons as “victims”. In order to be able to enforce one’s own rights and claims as a victim in criminal proceedings, a so-called private party joinder is required.
Learn moreThe field of “compliance” deals with adherence to laws, guidelines, standards and internal rules for avoiding violations and legal risks in companies or organizations. A functioning compliance system is not only necessary to minimize legal risks. Rather, it has been shown that compliance violations can also damage a company’s reputation and credibility.
Learn moreIn addition to our core activities as defense attorneys and criminal defense counselors, we also work as lecturers. In lectures and seminars, we impart both basic knowledge of criminal law and specialized knowledge on individual legal matters with criminal law implications. This area of activity therefore complements our orientation as a specialized law firm for criminal law and ensures the high quality of our work.
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