White Collar Crime

Headed by Partner, Attorney at law and one of the co-founders of the Firm Konstantin Astafiev, KIAP’s “White Collar Crime” practice represents corporate and private clients in criminal proceedings under the matters related to the issues of financial nature or corrupt practices, provides coordination and implementation of internal corporate investigations with respect to potential offences, assists in business projects evaluation to verify compliance with criminal law, provides consultations concerning the laws targeting money laundering issues, bribery and corrupt practices as well as concerning compliance with prescribed procedures in those areas. The practice is recommended by Legal 500 EMEA, Russian Pravo-300 and Kommersant legal directories. According to Legal 500 EMEA, in 2020 Konstantin Astafiev is recognized as Leading Individual and Dmitry Kalinichenko as Rising Star in White-collar Crime area. Head of practice Konstantin Astafiev is also personally recommended by international rankings Best Lawyers 2021 (in four areas including Criminal Defense) and Pravo 300 (in three areas including Criminal defense).

Representation of corporate and private clients in criminal proceedings under the matters related to the issues of financial nature or corrupt practices:

  • consultations and representation of clients’ interests in criminal proceedings regarding tax crimes or other cases related to the issues of financial nature or corrupt practices;
  • planning, coordination and implementation of internal corporate investigations with respect to potential offences;
  • business projects evaluation to verify compliance with criminal law;
  • consultations concerning the laws targeting money laundering issues, bribery and corrupt practices as well as concerning compliance with prescribed procedures in those areas.

Konstantin Astafiev
Partner
Attorney
Dmitry Kalinichenko
Head of projects
Attorney
Ph.D in Law
Evgeny Metla
Senior Associate
  • Representing the interests of the management of a company which is well-known in the Russian and international pharmaceutical market, within the framework of a number of criminal cases and other inquiries in response to alleged episodes of embezzlement at the stage of medication development and sale, as well as in connection with the principals having been charged with the establishment of and participation in a criminal community.
  • Representation and protection of the interests of the principal, the owner and chief executive officer of a company providing loan financing services, accused of committing an extremely serious crime as well as a number of economic crimes. Based on the investigation results of several criminal cases handled by the Russian Ministry of the Interior and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, with operational support provided by the staff of the internal affairs unit of the Russian Federal Security Service, all the criminal cases against our principal were dismissed. Criminal cases were instituted against a number of law enforcement officers and other persons criminally conspiring with them, in response to evidence falsification, knowingly false denunciation, giving and taking bribes. The court rendered the guilty verdict in respect of those persons. A number of the defendants in the case were put on the international wanted list, whereupon all of them were detained in the territory of foreign states.
  • Representation of the interests of the Russian office of a major international company in connection with an attempted theft of over 1 billion rubles from the company through tampering with evidence and passing knowingly improper judicial acts. A number of persons were charged based on the investigation results of several criminal cases, and the said persons were brought to criminal liability on the basis of a court verdict. The unjust judicial acts were revoked, and a number of judges were brought to disciplinary liability. 
  • Representing the interests of the managing director of a budgetary organization head in the territory of the Republic of Ingushetia at the stage of the preprosecutorial check conducted by the officers of the Russian Federal Security Service in response to the embezzlement of public funds committed by a group of individuals on a particularly large scale. No criminal proceedings were instituted based on the investigation results.
  • Representation and protection of the interests of the chief executive officer of the Russian business unit of an international company (B2C) operating in the apparel retail market, in connection with the alleged evasion of the funds repatriation duties. Based on the investigation results, the criminal case was suspended due to failure to identify the person subject to criminal liability.        
  • Representing the large Russian insurance company in the criminal case on insurance fraud.
  • Protecting interests of one of the top managers of electronic equipment producer company in espionage case: represented the company officers during investigation handled by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) and technical expertise. As the result several charges have been removed.
  • Representing the CEO of the large Russian company acting on the car market in the case of breach of Russian currency law. As the result all charges have been removed and criminal investigation has been closed.
  • Representing the leading Russian IT company, which was an injured party in criminal proceedings concerning embezzlement of public funds.
  • Representing one of the shareholders of a large Russian company specialized in natural resources during criminal proceedings concerning the embezzlement of shares worth USD$10 million.
  • Representing the interests of the affiliated company of a major Swiss transport holding in the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on a controversy over releasing from attachment property seized as part of criminal proceedings.