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Corporate Criminal Liability in Hungary

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Corporate Criminal Liability

Part of the book series: Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice ((IUSGENT,volume 9))

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the present criminal liability of legal persons in Hungary. Firstly, the historical background and the codification process of the Act CIV of 2001 on the Criminal Measures Applicable to Legal Persons is shortly outlined. Second, a possible theoretical model of Hungarian corporate liability principles and its substantive features are introduced and discussed. Third, the questions of sanctioning and finally the issues of procedure will be analyzed with regard to the problems that have arisen in applying this special form of liability in practice.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Act CIV 2001 on Measures Applicable to Legal Persons under Criminal Law, in force May 1, 2004.

  2. 2.

    Act IV 1978 on the Criminal Code, in force July 1, 1979 (Criminal Code).

  3. 3.

    Hungarian criminal law recognizes two forms of sanction. In the official English version of the Hungarian Criminal Code, one is referred to as “punishment” (e.g., imprisonment or community service) and the other is called a “measure” (e.g., a reprimand or forced medical treatment). The unofficial English text of Act CIV 2001 uses the same terms to translate the name of the sanctions against corporations.

  4. 4.

    Act XIX 1998 on the Criminal Procedure (Criminal Procedure Code), in force July 1, 2003.

  5. 5.

    In fact, the act established an objective criminal liability for corporations separately from the natural person’s culpability. Nevertheless, its sanction was unquestionably criminal because it could be imposed within the framework of a criminal proceeding as a result of the commission of a criminal offense.

  6. 6.

    See further Pieth/Ivory (this volume).

  7. 7.

    See, e.g., Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA of June 13, 2002 on combating terrorism, OJ No. L 164, June 22, 2002, Art. 8.

  8. 8.

    Act LIII 1995 on the Environmental Protection, in force December 19, 1995, art. 106.

  9. 9.

    Act CLV 1997 on the Consumer Protection, in force March 1, 1998, art. 47(1)(i).

  10. 10.

    Act CXXIX 2003 on Public Procurement, in force May 1, 2004, arts. 340(3)(d) and 343(2).

  11. 11.

    Act II 1989 on the Right of Public Meeting, in force January 24, 1989, art. 16(2)(d).

  12. 12.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 2(1).

  13. 13.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 1(1).

  14. 14.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 2(1)(b).

  15. 15.

    Ligeti 2003, 20.

  16. 16.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 1(1).

  17. 17.

    Wiener 2003, 706.

  18. 18.

    See OECD 2003, 6.

  19. 19.

    It is worth noting that the OECD has recommended the complete elimination of the requirement that a natural person be convicted as a prerequisite to the liability of the legal person. See OECD 2005, para. 145.

  20. 20.

    There is one exception, which applies if the sanction would entail an unreasonable burden to the legal person. In this case, sanctions may be foregone, but this is not a defense. See Act CIV 2001, art. 18(1)(c).

  21. 21.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 6(1).

  22. 22.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 6(3).

  23. 23.

    Santha 2005, 237.

  24. 24.

    Heine 1999, 238.

  25. 25.

    Clinard/Yeager 1980, 318. In certain cases, the publication of the judgment could be more effective than the other “traditional” sanctions available to the courts.

  26. 26.

    See, generally, Dobrocsi 2006.

  27. 27.

    Act CIV 2001, art. 12(1).

  28. 28.

    OECD 2005, para. 145.

  29. 29.

    Act XXVI 2008 on the Amending of Act CIV 2001 on the Application of Measures against Legal Entities in Criminal Proceedings, art. 9.

  30. 30.

    Fantoly 2007, 152.

  31. 31.

    Sárközi 2002, 452 et seq.

  32. 32.

    Pieth/Ivory (this volume).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, Institute of Criminal Sciences, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary

    Ferenc Santha PhD (Associate Professor, Defense Attorney)

  2. Department of Criminal Procedure Law and Law Enforcement, Károli Gáspár Reformed University, Budapest, Hungary

    Szilvia Dobrocsi (LLM, Assistant Professor)

Authors
  1. Ferenc Santha PhD
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  2. Szilvia Dobrocsi
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Correspondence to Ferenc Santha PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Faculty of Law, University of Basel, Peter Merian-Weg 8, Basel, 4002, Switzerland

    Mark Pieth

  2. , Faculty of Law, University of Basel, Peter Merian-Weg 8, Basel, 4002, Switzerland

    Radha Ivory

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Santha, F., Dobrocsi, S. (2011). Corporate Criminal Liability in Hungary. In: Pieth, M., Ivory, R. (eds) Corporate Criminal Liability. Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0674-3_12

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