Economic Crime: Crime Against Humanity?

The story below is about a Spanish judge who wants economic and environmental crimes to be treated as crimes against humanity, and hence subject to prosecution under international law. It would mean, in principle, that a company based on Country A could be tried in a court in Country B for financial manoeuvres that did harm to the economy of Country C. This idea sounds nice if you only think of the best-case scenarios — legitimately dangerous behaviour being prosecuted in a country with a highly reputable and highly competent legal system. But what about all the countries whose courts are not, shall we say, beyond reproach? >>>

LINK: Spain’s campaigning judge seeks change in law to prosecute global corporations (by Ashifa Kassam for The Guardian)

…Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish judge who redefined the boundaries of cross-border justice, has set his sights on widening the definition of international law to target corporations that carry out economic or environmental crimes.

“Humanitarian and economic crises cause more deaths around the world than all of the genocides we have documented,” said Garzón….

What do you think?

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