Criminal defence throughout Spain · offices in Madrid and Alicante
Most disputes between shareholders are resolved on commercial-law ground. But there is a point at which a partner’s or director’s conduct stops being poor management and becomes an offence. Identifying that point with precision decides whether the criminal route helps or backfires.
In brief. A criminal complaint without a solid basis does not merely get dismissed: it strengthens the opponent’s position and can expose the complainant to proceedings for false accusation and to costs. Often the correct sequence is commercial first, criminal afterwards, using the civil proceedings to fix the facts that will later sustain the criminal route.
Most disputes between shareholders are resolved on commercial ground: challenges to resolutions, corporate and individual liability actions, information rights, separation or exclusion of a shareholder. But there is a point at which the conduct of the partner or the director ceases to be a bad management decision and becomes an offence. Identifying precisely where that point lies is what decides whether the criminal route is advisable or counterproductive.
Filing a criminal complaint without a solid basis does not merely end in dismissal: it reinforces the opponent’s position and can expose the complainant to proceedings for false accusation or simulation of an offence and to an award of costs. For that reason we analyse the documentation before advising either route.
| Offence | Article | Penalty framework | Key aggravating factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disloyal administration | 252 | That of fraud (249/250) | Amount · abuse of the company signature |
| Misappropriation | 253 | That of fraud (249/250) | Amount · basic necessities |
| Falsified accounts | 290 | 1 – 3 years and fine | Harm caused: upper half |
| Abusive resolutions | 291 | 6 months – 3 years or fine | Abuse of the majority position |
| Fictitious majority | 292 | 6 months – 3 years or fine | Blank signature · improper vote |
| Shareholder rights | 293 | Fine of 6 to 12 months | Information, management and control |
| Asset concealment | 257 | 1 – 4 years and fine | Sought insolvency · front men |
| Legal person | 31 bis | Fine · suspension · dissolution | Absence of a compliance programme |
Penalty ranges are indicative and set out the ordinary framework; the sentence actually imposed depends on the degree of completion, aggravating and mitigating circumstances and the specific facts of each case.
In a case between shareholders the evidence is accounting, registry and digital: the annual accounts and their filing, books and minutes, bank movements, related-party contracts, e-mails, messages and the trail of transactions in the Companies Registry. Whoever organises that documentation first fixes the narrative of the proceedings. For that reason we apply LIWARD, Legal Intelligence Warfare for Defense, our own methodology, which integrates legal intelligence, case-law analytics, financial and accounting analysis and e-forensics into a single procedural strategy. We coordinate the criminal route with the corporate litigation, precisely so that the facts fixed in the civil proceedings later sustain the criminal one.
Shareholders excluded from information and profits: private prosecution, interim measures and recovery of the value taken from the company.
Defence against the disgruntled shareholder’s complaint: proving an informed decision, absence of personal interest and action within the corporate purpose.
Generational transition, breakdown of trust and deadlocked organs: containment of reputational damage and continuity of the business.
Those who contributed funds and watch the company being emptied: asset concealment, traceability of the assets and directors’ liability.
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Criminal defence in English before the courts of Alicante and the rest of Spain, for residents and for visitors who have flown home.
Société de Conseil Juridique et Expert es un despacho de abogados con sedes en Madrid, Alicante, Londres y París, especializado en defensa y acusación penal, delitos económicos y corporativos y derecho tecnológico. Trabajamos con orientación estratégica en procedimientos penales complejos, propiedad intelectual y análisis forense avanzado, y prestamos consultoría jurídica, compliance y escudos de protección a particulares y empresas. Atendemos desde Alicante y Madrid, con consulta online en toda España y asistencia al detenido 24 horas. Resuelva sus dudas en las preguntas frecuentes o solicite una primera consulta.
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