Severe Economic Crimes Committed in Transitional Periods - Crimes Under International Criminal Law?

Serious economic crimes and violations of economic, social and cultural rights have often been neglected in criminal proceedings and/or reports of truth commissions following economic transitions or armed conflict. Although economic crimes have often resulted in a substantial loss of profit to economies and societies at large, they have neither been widely nor effectively prosecuted. Central- European and the Balkan region are not exception to this rule. However, as argued in the article, from Nuremberg on, there have been attempts and successful examples of prosecuting war profiteering cases. Even quite recently, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor called for such a prosecution to be conducted before the ICC. The study focuses on criminal responsibility for severe economic offences committed in transitional periods, as well as on establishing serious economic criminal offences as crimes under international law. it explores legal and social preconditions under which serious economic offences may be characterized as crimes under international criminal law