ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Most party benches in the Croatian parliament on Thursday endorsed a final bill on the penal liability of legal persons, which envisages penalties for companies whose managers commit criminal acts.
ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Most party benches in the Croatian
parliament on Thursday endorsed a final bill on the penal liability
of legal persons, which envisages penalties for companies whose
managers commit criminal acts. #L#
Introducing the bill, Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic
said that frequent cases of grave white-collar crime were mostly
the result of organised criminal activities of a number of people as
well as of technological development, which has resulted in new
types of crime (environmental crimes, food poisoning), for which
companies are responsible.
The minister said that the penal liability of responsible persons
in companies, as defined by the existing law, is not sufficient to
fight white-collar crime.
The bill equalises the criminal liability of foreign and domestic
legal persons, the minister said.
Under the bill, legal persons would be fined 5,000 to five million
kuna for criminal activities, or with closure if it is found that
they were established with the aim of committing criminal
activities or used its business activities to commit crime.
Mario Kovac of the Social Liberals strongly objected to the
possibility of imposing security measures on a company, including a
ban on business activities and acquisition of concessions during
the course of court proceedings, which, he said, could lead to a
company's financial collapse before it was proven liable.
Other party benches said they would support the bill, stating that
it would fill in the legal void which now prevents the punishment of
legal persons for crime.
(hina) rml sb