Our Criminal Law Department lawyers successfully represented our Client – a Finance Director of a Polish branch of an international corporation – charged with the embezzlement of 5 million zlotys.
The allegations centred on unauthorized withdrawals from the company’s bank accounts, executed using credentials accessible to our client and others. Unknown perpetrators made unauthorized transfers to the account of a financial mule, who subsequently withdrew the money and transferred it to his accomplices. During the investigation, a man implicated our client by alleging his presence at meetings of the criminal group, providing substantial grounds for indictment. The prosecution further bolstered its case with a bank statement asserting no security breach, as the perpetrators had authentic login credentials.
Nearly 80 witnesses testified during the trial. ‘Our goal was to prove that the perpetrators knew our client’s credentials and were able to use them, while the CFO himself was not in fact involved in the fraud,’ says Krzysztof Urbańczak, Partner at SMM Legal, and one of the Client’s defence lawyers.
Arkadiusz Habiera, who specialises in cybersecurity crimes at our Firm added ‘We obtained a private expert opinion challenging the bank’s position. It revealed flaws in digital data security measures, showing the transfers were most likely made by someone who had not previously used the company’s e-banking system, casting doubt on the effectiveness of security features.
You may learn more about the win of our Criminal Law Department lawyers by reading the related case study.
