Criminal characterisation is built offence by offence, participant by participant, with intent, timing and territory; a commercial dispute alone does not prove crime.
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StGB · LR 311.0 · LGBl. 1988 Nr. 37 · Editorial explanation · not an official translation
Economic Crime under the Liechtenstein Criminal Code (StGB)
The StGB is in force in the LILEX consolidation effective 1 August 2026. This is an independently authored editorial overview, not an official translation or the complete text; procedure, sector offences and sanctions regimes require separate sources.
Editorial explanation · not an official translation
Key takeaways
This is an independently authored explanation of official materials, not an official translation or a reproduction of the complete text. The current German version, transitional provisions and the facts of the matter must be checked before reliance.
Fraud, abuse of authority, forgery, bribery and money laundering require different facts and evidence.
For a legal entity, conduct of organs and employees, control organisation, attribution and parallel individual liability must be analysed.
Document preservation, a funds-flow map and coordination with the StPO, AML, regulatory and international proceedings should begin before substantive explanations.
01
Elements, fault, participation and territorial nexus
For each episode, the act or omission, protected interest, result, causation and required form of fault are identified. The principal, participant, factual assistant and organisational organ are then distinguished. Multi-country events require analysis of conduct location, result and other grounds for applying Liechtenstein law. Commercial risk, breach of contract or an unsuccessful decision do not automatically become crime: the allegation must be compared with authority, information then available, good-faith explanations and the documented decision sequence.
02
Economic offences and funds flows
Facts should not be described simply as fraud. Deception, error, disposition and loss are tested specifically; abuse requires analysis of duty, authority and harm to managed property; forgery turns on the document's function and use. Bribery and laundering risks need a separate map of benefit, official or business context, predicate conduct, knowledge and transactions. Bank statements, accounts, contracts, communications and corporate minutes should form a testable chronology rather than be selected in fragments to support a predetermined conclusion.
03
Organisation, legal entity and response
For an organisation, actual authority of organs and employees, allocation of controls, warning signs, escalation and operation of compliance procedures are tested. A policy without evidence of operation is insufficient, but an organisational deficiency is not presumed from one offence either. Response includes lawful data preservation, an independent team, protection of secrecy, protocolled interviews and coordination with criminal procedure, the FMA, FIU, AML duties and foreign authorities. Public statements, insurer notice and counterparty contact should be aligned so evidence is not lost and inconsistent positions are not created.
LILEX · LLV · FMA
Official sources
This is an independently authored explanation of official materials, not an official translation or a reproduction of the complete text. The current German version, transitional provisions and the facts of the matter must be checked before reliance.
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Discuss the legal positionEditorial explanation · not an official translation. This is an independently authored explanation of official materials, not an official translation or a reproduction of the complete text. The current German version, transitional provisions and the facts of the matter must be checked before reliance.