The Institute for the State and Law organized a scientific seminar titled “White-Collar Crime in a Global Context: Comparative Perspectives from China and Bulgaria” on April 24. Lawyers from both countries discussed the types and characteristics of crimes committed by highly qualified professionals within the legal systems of Bulgaria and China.
In both Bulgaria and China, a wide range of criminal acts fall into this category: bribery, embezzlement, various types of fraud, money laundering, tax and financial crimes, and others. Key issues related to proving these criminal acts were discussed during the seminar. Experts from both countries believe that electronic evidence is becoming increasingly important in the process of proving crimes of this nature. Often, the volume of such evidence is so great that China is employing new forms and methods for its analysis and evaluation which are significantly altering traditional evidentiary law.
Bulgarian legal scholars presented various defense strategies permitted under criminal law (both substantive and procedural). Chinese lawyers also presented successful examples of defense strategies, and a comparison of the two legal systems led to the conclusion that defendants in Bulgaria had more procedural rights than those in China.
During the seminar, special attention was paid to international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of the crimes under consideration, and in particular to cooperation between Bulgaria and China.
