Bedecarratz Scholz, Francisco

This paper provides a critical analysis of the traditional perception of the organisational fault as a rule of attribution in the criminal liability of corporations. In the following pages, the author sustains that the obligations of direction and supervision stipulated in the law are equivalent to organisational rules of behaviour of non-criminal nature. This thesis is based on a doctrinal analysis, on a study of Act No. 20.393, of precedents and of comparative law, that fundament the nature and content of these obligations. Finally, the article proposes a categorization of the obligations and states the fundamental criteria for its future specification.

This article examines the organizational fault as a rule of attribution in the context of non-profit felonious organizations. I contend that the phenomenon of the felonious organization manifests itself in a different way in non-profits in comparison to corporations, having consequences in a different interpretation of article 3 and article 4 of Act No. 20.393. In conclusion, these organizations must implement special corporate governance principles and consider their inherent vulnerabilities in managing the risks of illegal acts, in order to fulfil their governance and compliance duties in accordance with the criminal law.