Draft bill on German corporate sanctions act

Abstract

After long discussions about the introduction of corporate criminal liability, the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection presented a first draft bill for a new Corporate Sanctions Act in August 2019. The act introduces a major shift in German Criminal law by proposing severe sanctions on companies for corporate criminal offenses. It includes regulations on internal investigations, compliance management systems and legal privilege. Since it was published, the act is discussed intensely among legal experts, politicians and the public. The following article presents the most important provisions of the draft bill. In addition, the authors compare the act to further jurisdiction’s legislation, discuss potential impacts on companies, and provide proposals for improvements for the further legislative proces