New Directive on sanctions offences to harmonise penalties for violating EU sanctions

New Directive on sanctions offences to harmonise penalties for violating EU sanctions

We are Finland’s leading criminal law team with a focus on corporate crime. We have many years of experience in successfully handling extensive criminal procedures and internal investigations, and we assist our clients in managing corporate crime risks.

Criminal procedures

Companies may face situations in which they or their employees become the subjects of a criminal procedure. We assist companies and their management and other personnel throughout the entire process from preliminary investigations to trials. Being suspected of an offence can also affect the company’s profitability and reputation, particularly if the process drags on. Handling the process in a professional manner helps minimise its negative impacts. We build a strong defence for your case and handle the entire procedure on your behalf efficiently and reliably.

The types of criminal procedures in business we handle include:

  • Financial offences, white-collar crimes
  • Trade secret offences
  • Security markets offences, insider trading
  • Corruption, bribery
  • Environmental offences
  • Work safety and employment offences
  • Data and communications offences, data breaches
  • Offences in public office
  • Offences relating to freedom of speech and protection of privacy
  • Tax offences
  • Money laundering offences

Internal investigations and assisting the injured party

When a suspicion of possible irregularity arises, the company’s management must take sufficient and prompt action to sort out the situation. Irregularity typically relates to corruption or misappropriation of company funds or trade secrets. We assist clients in every step of an internal investigation, and we can conduct the entire investigation on our client’s behalf.

During an internal investigation, we, among other things, systematically collect data of irregularities by screening documents and interviewing employees and management. It is crucial for a potential further process to secure and compile relevant evidence. Based on our findings, we will instruct you on what steps to take. Our investigation builds up an extensive database of facts and evidence that is ready for use if the suspected abuse moves on to a preliminary investigation.

It is important to investigate potential damages and draft a claim for damages as early as possible during the process. Issues relating to confiscation for security will also need to be dealt with at this stage. Damages issues are often complex and may require the involvement of independent expert witnesses.

After the initial stages, we assist the injured party in making a request for investigation and claiming damages as well as act as counsel for the client in the preliminary investigation and the subsequent trial. It is also common that the perpetrator will seek to hide assets that have been obtained through crime. In such a case, we help in tracing and recovering the assets at home and abroad.

Latest references

We advised SRV Group plc when it sold its 50% holding in the Pearl Plaza shopping centre in St. Peterburg to CP Invest Limited. The sale was the final part of SRV’s actions to exit from all of its operations in Russia which began in 2022. The sales price of SRV´s ownership of the shopping centre was approximately 11 million euros. SRV is a Finnish developer and innovator in the construction industry. SRV was established in 1987 and is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
Case published 17.2.2025
We advised Valio Oy in its acquisition of Raisio Oyj’s plant protein business, related fixed assets and the Härkis® and Beanit® fava bean brands. The fixed assets include, among other things, the production equipment of the factory that makes plant protein products in Kauhava. The transaction supports Valio’s strategy to grow from a dairy company to a food company. This business acquisition will make us an even more significant developer and producer of plant-based protein products. The demand for these products will grow in the long term, and a great deal of growth potential still remains. In 2022, we acquired the Gold&Green® business and, since then, we have been carrying out strong product development and renewed the brand. Following successful product launches, sales in the last quarter of 2024 increased by about 50% from the previous quarter. With this acquisition, we are building our own production capacity. The production equipment of the Kauhava factory is just right for our needs and situation. says Kimmo Luoma, Valio’s Senior Vice President. Valio is a Finnish dairy and food company founded in 1905 and owned by Finnish dairy cooperatives. Valio has subsidiaries in Sweden, Estonia, the United States and China. In 2023, the Group had a turnover of EUR 2 278 million and more than 4 000 employees.
Case published 14.2.2025
We successfully represented Trety AB in a dispute and settlement negotiations concerning an agreement for development and production of communication devices for the healthcare sector. Eventually, the parties reached an amicable settlement to the full satisfaction of our client and thus the parties avoided an extensive arbitral proceeding. Trety AB is a global company that provides its customers with solutions for development, industrialization and production of electronics. Trety AB has over 30 years’ experience from IT, electronics and telecommunication industries.
Case published 11.2.2025
We advised a financier consortium including OP Corporate Bank plc, Nordea Bank Abp, and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB in a leveraged financing arrangement for Vexve, a company owned by DevCo Partners Oy. The financing included EUR 143 million acquisition, refinancing and other facilities for, among other things, the financing of Vexve’s acquisition of Denmark-based Frese A/S, a leading manufacturer of dynamic balancing valves for hydronic networks. Vexve’s combined turnover after the completion of the transaction will be ca. EUR 200 million. Vexve is the leading European provider of valve solutions for the energy sector and selected energy-intensive industries.
Case published 7.2.2025