Tomoyuki Lewis Ban

Is the Company guilty too? Unpacking Corporate Accountability for criminal offences in Singapore How can a company, without a physical body or mind, commit a crime? A company acts through people – its employees, agents and officers. Consequently, the actions or knowledge of an individual may be legally attributed to the company — a concept known as corporate attribution.

Introduction Modern day commercial transactions are typically executed by agents on behalf of their principals within the scope of authority conferred on them expressly or impliedly. In exceptional cases, the principal may still be bound because of an agent’s apparent authority. Where an agent's act is unauthorised, the principal, when cognizant of such a transaction, could adopt it by retrospective validation. This is the doctrine of ratification.