Office PIETH

Legal advice and expert opinions from a lifelong economic crime fighter

Office Pieth is a boutique international law firm specialised in white-collar crime and Swiss criminal law.

Based in Basel, Switzerland, Office Pieth draws on the experience gained by Professor Mark Pieth over a 30-year career as a university professor, legal expert, defence lawyer, arbitrator and compliance advisor.

It provides legal advice and expert opinions in international cases, in particular in the area of economic crime (corruption, money laundering, fraud), and on Swiss law in domestic and foreign proceedings. Focus areas include criminal law, criminal procedure and mutual legal assistance.

The firm combines a deep knowledge of theory with hands-on practical experience, ranging from the level of individual companies to international regulators and development institutions.

The guiding principle is to fight the economic crime that is the cause of widespread social and environmental injustice.

Mark Pieth: 30+ years of holding power to account

Mark Pieth’s reputation rests on 27 years as Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminology at the University of Basel as well as numerous prominent roles on the international stage. These include:

  • Chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery for 24 years
  • Founding member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
  • Member of the UN Independent Inquiry Committee into the Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme
  • Chair of the Independent Governance Committee overseeing the reform process of FIFA
  • Judge, independent advisor and author of regional transparency standards for various multilateral development banks

He has authored or edited over 35 books on economic crime, organised crime and criminal law.

Among other initiatives, Mark Pieth founded the Basel Institute on Governance in 2003. Under his leadership for nearly 20 years, the Basel Institute has grown into one of the foremost international players in anti-corruption and asset recovery.

A well-known figure in Swiss and international media, Mark Pieth seeks to use his experience to inform public dialogue about the most pressing issues of economic crime, environmental protection and social justice.