Criminal, Misdemeanours and Compliance
With great seniority, MFA's Criminal, Misdemeanour and Compliance team has extensive experience in conducting criminal proceedings, with a greater focus on the field of economic and financial crime, and its members, over the years, have actively participated in the most complex criminal proceedings that have unfolded in the Portuguese judicial landscape.
In addition to the criminal justice aspect and following the trend of sanctioning growth resulting from regulatory infractions, MFA's Criminal, Misdemeanour and Compliance team also accumulates great experience and specialization in the monitoring of administrative offence proceedings, both in the administrative phase and in its jurisdictional aspect.
From a preventive perspective, MFA's Criminal, Misdemeanour and Compliance team has a great tradition in the field of advising companies and organizations, participating in committed and active participation in processes to reduce exposure to risk, suggesting, for this purpose, the implementation and monitoring of compliance programs , in the dual aspect of helping companies and organizations to create the instruments and mechanisms necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, and in the implementation of concrete practices that contribute to an effective reduction of exposure to the risks of business activity.
Our services
- Advising on criminal proceedings, in particular those relating to economic crimes (including crimes related to tax matters, capital markets, fraud, corruption, fraud, among others), at all stages of proceedings;
- Matters related to Cybercrime, both in the legal representation of injured parties and in the area of advising victim companies and organizations;
- Administrative offence proceedings initiated by the regulatory authorities of the various sectors, both in the representation in the administrative phase and in the judicial challenge of the decisions of the regulators;
- Criminal compliance (definition of risk and exposure profiles; money laundering, anti-corruption, establishment of whistleblowing channels; anti-fraud protection);
- Risk management: business and organizational advice in situations of installed crisis, both from the perspective of assessing and managing the procedural and strictly legal impacts of the situation, as well as the impact and reputational and communication management present in this type of situation.
In its area of expertise, MFA's Criminal, Misdemeanour and Compliance team has intervened in the most complex criminal and administrative offence proceedings in recent years, representing individual clients and companies in all procedural acts and phases, highlighting the following:
- Intervention as victims' lawyers in the context of the so-called "Casa Pia Case"
- Representation of a defendant in the context of the "Apito Dourado Case"
- Representation of a defendant in the context of the "Private-Financial Case (BPP)"
- Representation of a food company in proceedings for an administrative offence in competition matters due to alleged market restriction
- Representation of companies and associations in the pharmaceutical sector in various proceedings for administrative offences in competition matters for alleged cartels
- Representation of directors and companies in national and cross-border criminal tax proceedings concerning charges for so-called "carousel frauds"
- Company Director Representation and Insider Trading case
- Representation of a defendant in the context of the process known as the "Secretas Case"
- Representation of a defendant in the context of the proceedings known as "Operação Monte Branco"
- Representation of defendants, directors and companies, in the context of the process known as "Operação Furacão"
- Representation of defendants in the context of the proceedings known as the "BPN Case"
- Representation of a defendant in a tax fraud proceeding
- Representation of a defendant in a cybercrime case related to the opening of a platform for downloading and uploading computer data and various content
- Representation of an assistant company in the so-called "Face Oculta Case"
- Representation of a former member of the Timorese government in the process and judgment of a case related to the acquisition of hospital equipment
- Representation of a director and company accused in the context of "Operação Marquês"
- Representation of a senior official of the State in the context of the "Labirinto/GoldenVisas" case
- Representation of technical staff of a company in the water treatment sector in the case of the "Legionella Outbreak in Vila Franca de Xira"
- Representation of former directors of companies in the energy sector in the process known as "EDP/CMEC Case"
- Representation of club, sports limited company and directors in various criminal proceedings, as aggrieved parties and as defendants (E-toupeira, Saco Azul, E-mails, Vouchers, Mala Ciao, Cartão Vermelho)
- Representation of directors, company and civil protection coordinator in the criminal process related to the "Pedrogão Grande Fires"
- Advising the defendant's defence in the context of the "Ajuste Secreto" case
- Representation of defendants in the context of the "Processo O Negativo | Mafia do Sangue"
- Representation of a defendant in the case known as "Operação Vortex"
- Representation of injured companies in proceedings relating to the "universo | GES Group"
- Representation of clients in the context of hearings before Parliamentary Investigation Committees
