Death Penalty (Liquidation) of a Legal Entity as a Criminal Punishment and Bringing of a Legal Entity to the Criminal Liability after Winding up: Foreign Experience

The article is dedicated to issues of criminal liability of legal entities. Criminal sanctions applicable to legal entities including measures of criminal punishment are reviewed. It is noted that where a death penalty (deprivation of life) is the supreme measure of punishment for individuals, the supreme measure of punishment for legal entities is liquidation of a legal entity, its death penalty in fact, which manifests itself in the loss of the legal capacity. Attention is paid to the fact that punishment in form of liquidation is usually imposed in cases when the activities of a legal entity were in general or to a great extent aimed at committing of criminal acts or when the seriousness of a committed crime makes it impossible to preserve a legal entity and continue its activities. It is noted that court may impose other punishments in addition to liquidation of a legal entity, for example, property seizure or a fine. The author gives examples of application of liquidation of a legal entity as a criminal punishment abroad. It is stated that in some countries it is possible to bring a legal entity to the criminal liability after winding up (loss of the legal capacity). Attention is focused on the fact that while death of an individual makes criminal prosecution impossible, loss of the legal capacity ("death" of a legal entity) should not exclude the criminal liability, as self-liquidation may for example be one of the ways of evasion from criminal liability by a legal entity. Conclusion is made that study of the foreign experience of introduction of the criminal liability of legal entities including application of such criminal sanction as liquidation of a legal entity and the establishment of the regulatory procedure for the criminal liability of a legal entity after winding up (loss of the legal capacity) is more than of theoretical interest only, as there are objective prerequisites for the introduction of the criminal liability of legal entities in the Russian Federation and study of foreign laws in the indicated sphere is important for the development of the Russian theory of the criminal liability of legal entities and drafting of the corresponding amendments to the Russian criminal laws.