Based on Amendment No. 183/2016 Coll. to the Act on Criminal Liability of Legal Entities (the “Amendment”), from 1 December 2016 companies can be exonerated from criminal liability if they prove that they have “made every effort that may be reasonably required to prevent the commission of a criminal offence”.
Almost immediately after the Amendment, the Municipal Court in Prague heard a criminal case in which it reflected this defence. As was widely reported by the media, the Court ruled that:
- the company committed the crime, but
- referred to the amendment and concluded that the company had
made every effort to prevent the crime, and decided to drop the criminal case against the company.
For more information, please see our latest Legal News.
