As a rule, there is cause for an internal investigation if there is a violation of internal or external regulations by employees or managers. This applies in particular if the standards in question are subject to criminal penalties or fines.
The reason for this is that otherwise the effectiveness of the compliance system is called into question. Only if suspicious cases are comprehensively investigated can breaches of the rules be adequately countered and the need for action identified.
In addition, refraining from internal investigations may entail the risk of breaches of duty on the part of the management and supervisory board and the danger of liability. As is well known, criminal offenses can also be committed by omission.
Legislators have long been concerned with this issue: Even if the planned Association Sanctions Act has not yet come into force, internal investigations are now common practice.
Based on many years of experience in advising on and conducting internal investigations in large and medium-sized companies - whether in connection with cross-border official investigations or on the basis of information provided by employees - you can expect competent and cost-conscious support from our team.
In particular, we keep a comprehensive eye on the requirements of data protection law, employment law and company law.
The scope of the advice and internal investigation is always based on individual needs - it ranges from well-founded initial legal advice and the conduct of interviews to comprehensive processing of the facts.
It goes without saying that all of our team members are bound only to the company and are subject to the statutory duty of confidentiality.
