Der Kronzeuge im Wirtschaftsstrafrecht

So-called leniency programs have always been regarded with skepticism by the scientific community and practitioners. The major leniency program under section 46b of the German Criminal Code (StGB), which has been in existence since 2009, has therefore received limited attention to date. However, recent developments in large-scale white-collar criminal proceedings – in particular the Cum/Ex trials – gave reason to analyze if section 46b of the German Criminal Code can prove to be an effective instrument for the investigation of complex white-collar crimes in the future. After analyzing the required framework conditions, the author recommends an adjustment of the provision in order to bring it up to date for future developments, especially in the area of whistleblower protection and association sanctions.