On 23 February 2023, our Clients – board members serving on the board of a multinational business – were finally acquitted on all counts of offences against the company – a computer paper manufacturer. This concludes an over 12-years long court battle in a highly complex white collar crime case. Our Clients were defended by SMM Legal Partners – Krzysztof Urbańczak and Przemysław Maciak, as well as Olga Biernacka, Senior Associate with our Firm.
On that day, the Regional Court in Toruń upheld the judgement issued by the first instance court in Brodnica and thus finally acquitted our clients, clearing them of all charges.
‘It was a multi-layered and highly complex case’, says Krzysztof Urbańczak, Partner in charge of the White Collar Crime Department at SMM Legal. ‘Its international nature additionally compounded its difficulty. We defended French citizens accused of acting to the detriment of an operating company with French and Polish-German capital’, explains Mr. Urbańczak.
Thanks to the effective defence mounted by our lawyers, Mr. Roland Eppe and Mr. Jacques Battini were fully and finally cleared of the charges of causing financial damage to the company, Drescher Polska. The alleged damage involved the establishment of a competitor company, and illegally transferring a trademark to it to the detriment of Drescher Polska, and thus “transferring” the business out of the latter and taking over its profits.
‘The Court agreed with our argumentation that our Client’s intent was completely honest and aimed only at ensuring the reputation of the “Drescher” brand as synonymous with the top quality in the paper production sector’, explains Ms. Olga Biernacka.
‘The trial was extremely lengthy, but the final acquittal following all this time is a source of immense satisfaction’ sums up Przemysław Maciak, Managing Partner at SMM Legal.
