Journal of International and Comparative Law (JICL) Ventoruzzo Lecture: “Does Insider Trading Law Violate Human Rights?”

Professor Marco Ventoruzzo’s lecture “Does Insider Trading Law Violate Human Rights? A Recent Decision of the European Court of Human Rights and Some Questions for the U.S.” presents a challenging perspective on human rights: should corporate executives be entitled to a human rights defense against regulatory regimes and criminal sanctions imposed by governments which are in place to ensure democratic accountability in the markets?

Professor Ventoruzzo, a distinguished expert in global business law, will share his insights on the landmark decision of Grande Stevens v. Italy, in which the European Court of Human Rights held criminal prosecutions of Italian corporate executives for insider training constituted a violation of the executives’ right not to be punished twice for the same conduct. The decision implicates important questions about possible implications of the double jeopardy prohibition in the United States and proper limitations on the power of democratic governments to level the economic playing field and advance human development through regulatory regimes backed by the threat of prosecutions.