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Criminal Law & Compliance
Defence and prosecution in every kind of criminal proceeding, for companies, executives and private individuals. And the prevention that keeps you out of them.
Resilient and exact, slate represents what Santana Lorenzo Abogados offers in criminal proceedings: composure and precision.
“In criminal proceedings, the first decision is usually the one that weighs most.”
Criminal cases are decided in the first few days: what is said and what is not, which documents are handed over, how one responds to an arrest, a search or a summons. Whoever arrives late to those decisions arrives late to the whole proceeding. That is why we step in from the very first moment — the first arrest, summons or news of a complaint, or a tax audit that may turn into a criminal tax case — and stand beside the client at every statement, every procedural step and at trial.
We act for the defence and as private prosecutor in every kind of criminal matter, before investigating courts, provincial courts, the National High Court (Audiencia Nacional) and the Supreme Court. One of our specialities is the prosecution of cybercrime, crypto-asset fraud and scams committed using artificial intelligence. Our Founding and Managing Partner, Margarita Santana, is a recognised criminal lawyer who has acted in some of the country’s most significant cases in recent years. And for companies, we design and audit the compliance programmes that allow them to invoke the defence under Article 31 bis of the Spanish Criminal Code when a risk materialises.
Crypto-asset fraud, cybercrime and AI-enabled scams
This is one of our specialities. We prosecute these offences on behalf of the victims, both companies and individuals: cryptocurrency and fake-investment scams, identity theft and CEO fraud, unlawful access to systems and deceptions manufactured with artificial intelligence. We move fast, with technology experts, because in this field the digital evidence decides the case.
Criminal defence
Tax fraud and Social Security fraud, fraud and misappropriation, breach of fiduciary duty, insolvency offences, forgery, corporate and market offences, and any other offence affecting companies, executives or private individuals.
Private prosecution
Bringing criminal proceedings on behalf of injured companies and individuals, including the civil claim for damages.
Money laundering
Defence in complex proceedings, with forensic accounting evidence built into the strategy.
Arrests, searches and internal investigations
Immediate assistance, response protocols and criminal due diligence ahead of corporate transactions.
Criminal and tax compliance
Design, implementation and audit of compliance programmes, whistleblowing channels and corporate criminal defence.
How we work
We study the matter before the client gives a statement, not afterwards. We set out a written strategy, test it against recent case law and keep it consistent from the investigation stage through to trial and appeal. The client knows at every moment who is handling the matter and what will happen at the next step.