Vox Legis Abogados provides criminal defence to business owners, directors, executives, professionals and companies in proceedings related to economic and business activity.
Our practice covers involvement from the earliest investigative steps and the adoption of precautionary measures through to trial and subsequent appeals, including particularly complex proceedings before the National Court (Audiencia Nacional) and the Supreme Court.
When a business conflict turns into a criminal proceeding, knowledge of the Criminal Code alone is not enough. It is necessary to understand the company, the transactions carried out, the corporate and financial documentation, the movement of assets and the decisions taken by the people involved in the activity.
DISCUSS AN ECONOMIC CRIME MATTER →Economic Criminal Law and business activity
Economic crime proceedings often involve issues that go beyond a strictly criminal analysis. Contracts, corporate structures, accounting, financial transactions, relationships between shareholders, decisions taken by directors, tax obligations and asset movements can all be decisive in understanding what happened and defining a defence strategy.
Vox Legis approaches these proceedings from both a criminal and a business perspective, forming teams tailored to the nature and complexity of each matter. Where the origin of the conflict is corporate or commercial, we coordinate the analysis with Commercial and Corporate Law.
Criminal defence of business owners, directors and executives
Being a director, executive or business owner can place a person at the centre of an investigation over decisions taken in the course of an economic activity.
Harmful business conduct, or a decision later considered mistaken, does not in itself constitute an offence. Criminal liability requires an analysis of the specific facts, each person's involvement, the subjective element required by each offence and the evidence available.
Criminal defence of companies and legal entities
The Criminal Code provides, in certain cases, for the criminal liability of legal entities. When a company is under investigation, its procedural position must be analysed separately from that of its directors, executives, employees or representatives.
The existence and effectiveness of organisational and control models, the company's internal structure and the measures adopted to prevent certain risks can take on particular relevance.
CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF LEGAL ENTITIES →Fraud and misappropriation
Vox Legis acts in proceedings relating to fraud, misappropriation and other offences against property, both in the defence of persons under investigation and on behalf of individuals and companies who have suffered harm.
A breach of contract or an economic loss does not on its own establish the existence of an offence. Correctly distinguishing a civil or commercial dispute from a criminal offence is an essential question.
Corporate offences and disloyal administration
Disputes between shareholders, directors or corporate groups can acquire criminal relevance when the elements required by the Criminal Code are present. The analysis may require examining accounting, commercial, contractual and corporate documentation and determining each person's specific involvement.
Offences against the Public Treasury and VAT fraud
Tax offence proceedings involve a significant technical dimension and require the simultaneous analysis of tax and criminal issues. The defence must examine the quantification, the structure of the transactions, individual participation and the other elements required by the offence.
Money laundering
Money laundering proceedings require an analysis of the origin of assets or funds, their traceability, the transactions carried out and the knowledge that can be attributed to the persons under investigation. They may involve bank accounts, companies, asset transfers, international transactions and digital assets.
Punishable insolvency and business crisis
A situation of insolvency or business crisis does not automatically entail criminal liability. Certain transactions carried out in that context may nevertheless be investigated, which means the economic situation, the decisions taken and their business justification must be reconstructed.
Corruption, public procurement and offences against public administration
Vox Legis has experience in proceedings relating to public procurement and offences against public administration, including investigations for prevarication, embezzlement, bribery, influence peddling, fraud and forgery. These matters can simultaneously affect public officials, business owners, companies and professionals.
Seizures, frozen accounts and precautionary asset measures
In economic crime cases, the measures adopted during the investigation can jeopardise the continuity of a business activity. Preventive seizures, frozen accounts, bonds, prohibitions on disposing of assets and measures linked to confiscation must be examined from the outset as to their basis, scope, necessity and proportionality.
DISCUSS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE →Internal investigations and Corporate Compliance
When indications of possible criminal conduct appear within an organisation, an internal investigation may be necessary. If the matter affects prevention and control systems, Vox Legis can coordinate the criminal defence with the specialist Corporate Compliance area developed through Éthica Consultoría Empresarial.
CORPORATE COMPLIANCE →Proceedings before the National Court and Supreme Court
Vox Legis's lawyers have taken part in particularly complex economic crime proceedings before the National Court (Audiencia Nacional) and in appeals before the Supreme Court.
Negotiated settlements in complex proceedings
Negotiated guilty pleas in Economic Criminal Law proceedings can present additional complexity when directors, executives, employees and the legal entity itself are all under investigation or charged in the same case, with positions that must be analysed separately.
NEGOTIATED PLEAS AND CRIMINAL NEGOTIATION →Relevant proceedings
The selection below covers economic crime matters already published with verifiable public sources. For ongoing matters, the current status is indicated; past results are not presented as a guarantee of future outcomes.
Corruption, public procurement and offences against public administration — National Court (Audiencia Nacional).
Alleged pyramid schemes and economic offences of major media impact.
Representation of harmed companies in an alleged large-scale logistics fraud.
Embezzlement, forgery and corporate offences — sentence enforcement and pardon granted.
An Economic Crime team
Economic crime proceedings frequently require coordinating criminal, procedural and business knowledge. The Vox Legis team combines distinct backgrounds within this field.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company commit a crime?
Is a director automatically liable for the company's offences?
When can a dispute between shareholders amount to a crime?
What happens if my company's accounts are frozen?
When does the National Court hear an economic offence?
Acting throughout Spain
Vox Legis handles economic crime proceedings before courts and tribunals throughout the national territory and has offices in Madrid, Marbella, Seville and Oviedo.
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