White-collar crime.
White-collar crime lawyer for directors, companies and professionals in economic cases: tax evasion, money laundering, embezzlement, abuse of office and corruption-related offences.
Your company is the subject of a DNA or DIICOT inquiry
An accusation of tax evasion or money laundering// Law 241/2005 · Law 129/2019
The offences of embezzlement, abuse of office or corruption-related offences
A seizure has been placed on the company’s accounts or assets
Assessing the accusation
We analyse the accusation, the investigation file and the real criminal risk for the individual and the company.
Reviewing the file
We examine the lawfulness of the investigative acts, the freezing orders and the evidence gathered.
Strategy
We build the defence strategy on the merits, aimed at the best possible outcome at every stage of the case.
What do I do if my company is targeted by a DNA or DIICOT investigation?
The first step is not to communicate or hand over documents without legal advice. Early assistance protects both the individual and the company. See which offences fall under DIICOT jurisdiction.
Can a seizure on the company’s accounts be lifted?
Such a measure can be challenged if it is disproportionate or ordered without sufficient basis. We assess the proportionality and lawfulness of the measure.
What is the difference between abuse of office and a simple management mistake?
The decisive element is the legal definition of the offence: the existence of a benefit, a loss, and the breach of a duty laid down by law. The line is assessed case by case.
How are corruption offences such as bribery or trading in influence handled?
Corruption offences (taking and giving a bribe, art. 289-290 of the Criminal Code, and trading in influence, art. 291) are investigated mainly by the DNA. The defence often turns on whether a genuine quid pro quo existed and on the precise legal classification of the facts.
Can money laundering be charged together with the underlying offence?
Yes. Money laundering (art. 49 of Law 129/2019) is autonomous and is frequently charged alongside the offence that generated the funds; the prosecution must still prove their criminal origin. See our money laundering practice.
Does the offence of embezzlement also apply to administrators and employees?
The offence of embezzlement (art. 295 of the Criminal Code) concerns a person who manages or administers a company’s assets and appropriates, uses or traffics them in their own interest. It targets administrators, employees and others with management duties; the existence and the real extent of the loss are central to the defence.
Can a witness be assisted by a lawyer during questioning?
Yes. A witness may be assisted by a lawyer at the hearing (art. 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code) and has the right to remain silent and not to incriminate themselves; statements obtained in breach of that right cannot be used against them. In economic cases a witness is often a step away from becoming a suspect, so legal assistance matters from the first summons.
Protect your company from the very first moment.
What you state and hand over in the first days sets the frame in which the prosecution is built. Many irreparable mistakes are made before the file is even read.