Criminal law defence of business

The broad horizons of our attorneys in Russian criminal law, allied with their extensive practical experience, allow them to successfully solve complex and non-standard problems when we represent and defend the shareholders, executives and employees of clients in the context of a criminal trial (avoiding or minimising any risk of criminal liability).

Pepeliaev Group’s lawyers help clients in solving specific business tasks:

to prevent the destruction of a business as a result of criminal prosecution, in particular when investigative bodies have used prohibited methods of investigation, possible abusive practices, and illegal and excessive coercion;
to prevent competitors from using criminal procedure to gain access to the client’s confidential information;
to maintain a business-friendly environment among the staff members during state control and coercive procedures, to minimise the risks of panic among the staff caused by these procedures;
to prevent additional “extra-procedural” costs from growing owing to intimidation, threats and blackmail, which some malevolent officials use.

Legal support for criminal law and criminal procedure law issues

Assessing criminal law risks
Advising on criminal law and criminal procedure law issues
Devising the legal position in a case, defining the strategy and tactics of further steps
Defending the client’s interests before law enforcement authorities
Challenging the acts and omissions of law enforcement officers
Defending the interests of the client (its managers and employees) before courts of general jurisdiction
Appealing against court decisions to higher courts
Reviewing and summarising the practice of applying criminal and criminal procedure legislation; participating in the development and discussion of legislative initiatives.

Projects

The teams of Pepeliaev Group’s Dispute Resolution and Mediation and Criminal Law Defence of Business practices have defended a client in the Supreme Court

The teams of Pepeliaev Group’s Dispute Resolution and Mediation and Criminal Law Defence of Business practices jointly represented a client's interests before the Supreme Court in a case based on a claim from the Prosecutor's Office.

Handling a number of criminal cases

Instructed by a major international retailer and manufacturer of household goods with an extensive network of stores in Russia, we handled a number of criminal cases in which company employees were held liable for thefts of company property. The company regarded the fact that former employees were held liable as being a deterrent to those still employed within the company. All of the criminal cases went to court, with the guilty parties punished by imprisonment by virtue of article 73 (conditional conviction) of the Russian Criminal Code being applied. Civil lawsuits were upheld in full.

Other projects