Bitcoin,crypto-coins,and global anti-money laundering governance

Crypto-coins (CCs) like Bitcoin are digitally encrypted tokens traded in peer-to-peer networks whose money laundering potential has attracted the attention of regulators, firms and the wider public worldwide. This article assesses the effectiveness of the global anti-money laundering regime in balancing both the challenges and opportunities presented by these novel ‘altcoins’. Two main arguments are advanced. First, the implications that crypto-coins presently pose for global anti-money laundering efforts stem less from the threats of their illicit uses as digital currencies and more from the opportunities presented by their underlying blockchain technologies. Second, despite several shortcomings, the risk-based approach pursued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) strikes an effective balance between the existing threats and opportunities that crypto-coins currently present. Rather than a conclusive evaluation however this article stresses the need for continual monitoring and investigation of the wider ethical implications raised by CCs for global efforts to combat money laundering in an era of rapid technological change.     

Farmers,factories and funds: organised crime and illicit drugs cultivation within the British Vietnamese community

This article explores the growth of organised crime within the Vietnamese community with particular reference to the cultivation of cannabis, money laundering and the smuggling or trafficking of children. The article begins by exploring the history and diversity of the ‘Vietnamese community’ in the United Kingdom and the role of Vietnamese culture in shaping their criminal enterprises. It then draws on research involving two sets of qualitative data: one set is based on 45 interviews with law enforcement personnel based in Vietnam and the United Kingdom as well as with key stakeholders in the Vietnamese community; the other set is based on structured questionnaires issued to 34 Vietnamese residents in Britain, 24 of whom are here illegally. It examines the relationship between illegal immigration of Vietnamese citizens to Britain and the urban cultivation of cannabis, in what has become known as ‘cannabis factories’, and the laundering of the profits abroad to Vietnam. After exposing the logistics of Vietnamese illegal immigration into Britain, the article concludes that those involved in cannabis cultivation, money laundering and people smuggling are primarily motivated by profit rather than ‘lifestyle’ concerns, and operate within what theorists of organised crime refer to as the ‘mono-ethnic criminal network’.     

洗钱罪初探

洗钱犯罪随着经济全球化和金融网络化的发展愈演愈烈,已经成为国际公害,反洗钱必须提上重要改革日程。我国应多管齐下,标本兼治,综合治理,严加遏止。     

协助他人掩饰毒品犯罪所得行为之定性研究——以汪照洗钱案为例的分析

洗钱罪是一种破坏金融管理秩序的犯罪,随着经济的快速发展,此类性质的案件逐渐增多,加大对该罪的规制日益重要。我国对洗钱罪的立法规定经历了一个从无到有、从简单到严密的过程。洗钱罪在行为、客体和罪责方面有一系列特征,在司法实践中对该罪的处理也面临很多困难。通过汪照洗钱案的审理可以发现,目前洗钱罪的明知问题、与上游犯罪的关系问题以及该罪与赃物犯罪的区分问题还存在争议,从理论上进一步明晰十分必要。     

我国洗钱犯罪的特点与防治对策

目前,我国的洗钱现象明显增多,洗钱或者明显带有洗钱性质的案件发案率正在迅速上升。我国洗钱犯罪体现了以下的特点:利用金融机构进行洗钱活动、利用公司进行洗钱活动、国际犯罪集团入境洗钱活动频繁以及国内腐败犯罪分子通过洗钱手段大肆转移赃款。要有效防治我国的洗钱犯罪,必须采取加强洗钱犯罪立法及制度建设完善等一系列对策。     

Is money laundering a true problem in China?

Money laundering was stipulated as an offense by Chinese criminal law more than 10 years ago. However, the judicial situation is such that no one has yet been prosecuted for it. This article describes the phenomena that are closely related to money laundering, namely the current situation of the predicate offences and other factors conducive to money laundering such as corruption, underground bank shops, and shell companies. Based on these facts, the article infers that money laundering is a real problem in China. Then it explores the reasons why case examples of money laundering are not available. Finally, this article presents some of the factors necessary in the investigation of money laundering.     

Was Ellen Wronged?

Imagine a citizen (call her Ellen) engages in conduct the state says is a crime, for example, money laundering. Imagine too that the state of which Ellen is a citizen has decided to make money laundering a crime. Does the state wrong Ellen when it punishes her for money laundering? It depends on what you think about the authority of the criminal law. Most criminal law scholars would probably say that the criminal law as such has no authority. Whatever authority is has depends on how well it adheres to the demands of morality inasmuch as morality is the only authority we have. Thus if morality says that money laundering should not be a crime then the state wrongs Ellen when it punishes her. But if the criminal law as such does have authority, and if in the exercise of its authority the state has decided to make money laundering a crime, then the state does Ellen no wrong when it punishes her.     

A review of tools to comply with the Fourth EU anti-money laundering directive

The aim of this paper is to present tools that are used by financial institutions to implement legal requirements with regard to anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT). The fight against money laundering and terrorist financing is a two-stage procedure, where state authorities outsource a major part of their tasks and responsibilities to private entities. The bulk of the task falls to financial institutions, which have to monitor the transactions of their customers pursuant to international, European and national laws as well as internal policies. To comply with the legal requirements, they use sophisticated surveillance software and collect large amounts of personal data. The European Union introduced two Proposals (COM(2013) 45 final and COM(2013) 44 final) to update the European Union's AML/CFT regime. Even though the Proposals have not yet become legal acts, it is quite obvious that new tools to support financial institutions will emerge. The amendments foreseen by the Proposals as well as already existing tools, which will remain relevant, shall be examined and privacy considerations will be discussed.     

控制跨境洗钱难点问题研究

当前，跨境洗钱已成为各国犯罪集团和犯罪分子青睐的一种洗钱方式。由于往往涉及多个国家的不同司法体系，存在司法管辖上的“涉外因素”。因此，控制跨境洗钱犯罪行为尤显困难。急需针对刑事立法、金融控制、刑事执法方面存在的相应难点问题进行研究并提出对策，为控制跨境洗钱犯罪提供理论支撑。     

Water always finds its way: Identifying new forms of money laundering

Money laundering regulations have become stricter over time and involve more and more actors. This means that the accountability of laundering regulation will become more important; theoretically, money laundering should have decreased with the implementation of new regulations. However, as this paper shows, it is difficult to estimate even the sign of the trend in the proceeds of crime and of laundering over time with particular reference to the drug trade. There seems to be a substitution from hard to softer drugs, and no substantial decline in the proceeds of crime and likewise no substantial decline in money laundering. Criminals seem to switch from the more controlled banking sector into still less controlled parts of financial markets, and from financial markets to other sectors. These new sectors include electronic payments, trade and real estate. The paper shows how one can empirically approach the latter two by using economic information of unusual prices and other characteristics in order to identify the amount of laundering in these sectors. Combining economic information with criminological data facilitates the development of a new tool for identifying money laundering in some important sectors.     

Power-seeking crime? The professional thief versus the professional launderer

Relating the concept of power to motives and objectives for criminal activities results in different images of criminals and their motivations. In this article, we aim to reflect on two different forms of crime (burglary versus money laundering) starting from a power perspective. We describe how the pursuit of power may or may not be related to crime, perpetrators and the policies that have been developed to prevent or repress these types of crime. By examining the motives behind both burglary and money laundering, we try to make clear how the concept of power and power pursuit leads to different rationales in criminal conduct. We try to determine to what extent ‘rational choice’ plays a role in this respect. As a conclusion, we argue that ‘power’ as such influences patterns of crime, victimisation and societal reactions (by means of criminal policy). The extent to which power accumulation is an outcome of crime, will in part determine the social reaction to crime and as a result, the perceived threat of crime.     

Online Public Response to Dutch News About Money Laundering

In this paper we analyze how Dutch Public Prosecution’s press releases about money laundering and underground banking are received by producers and consumers of online news reports. First we take a closer look at how journalists (re)framed six official press releases in 75 news reports. It turns out that journalists do not regularly adopt the success frame that the Public Prosecution uses in its press releases. Furthermore, the role of the Public Prosecution Service or the police is downplayed. The moral message that “crime should not pay” receives no coverage in news reports. Second, we analyze how the news reports generated 276 online comments. We distinguish three ways in which online commenters respond to news reports; they (1) appreciate, (2) downplay or (3) condemn the authorities’ success. Commenters are particularly likely to downplay or condemn the police’s success. When a news report focuses on ‘underground bankers’, commenters often express a negative opinion about the effort to curb money laundering. It also appears that readers did not always understand the use of a term like underground banking.     

Extra-territorial money laundering legislation: criminal sanction,deterrence, and the African PEP

Many of the provisions of the major international conventions on money laundering concluded by Western-dominated international agencies have rightly metamorphosed into anti-money laundering domestic criminal legislation in several African countries. It is the contention of this paper that this development has happened only haphazardly, and it has been mainly at the prodding of Western financial institutions and donor agencies. African leaders themselves have shown little enthusiasm for the raft of legislations being encouraged (and in many cases enacted) as useful tools in prosecuting cases of money laundering involving politically exposed persons (PEPs). It is further contended that the reason for this antipathy lies in the fact that although these legislations have been construed on universal principles, they have ipso-facto, been construed outside the socio-legal context of the African PEP.     

Client privilege,compliance and the rule of law: Swedish lawyers and money laundering prevention

Can, and will, lawyers police their clients? This article aims to shed light on the private front-line workers of the Financial Action Task Force on money laundering (FATF). The analysis is based on a study of how Swedish lawyers perceive and handle obligations to police clients within FATF style risk-based anti-money laundering/counter terrorism (AML/CTF) regulation. We find that the lawyers were reluctant to taking on the responsibility for AML/CTF, and that their front-line work was directed towards being compliant enough. Relatedly, we identify several practices of separation that serve to mediate between the conflicting aims and interests in the everyday of this form of private policing. Another finding is that the lawyers by and large position themselves as knowledgeable actors, and view risks of AML/CTF as knowable. Nevertheless, lawyers experienced a principle clash between being ‘not banks’, and being front-line workers for FATF. In particular, the lawyers perceived their role as front-line workers to be more complex due to their professional norms and ethics on client privilege, and what they saw as the proper role of lawyers, being in conflict with the obligation to report clients and their transactions. In concluding, we suggest that paying more attention to the everyday experience of front-line workers when devising regulatory tools may be a way to promote engagement in ‘true’ crime prevention on their part.     

Human security,transnational crime and human trafficking – Asian and western perspectives,edited by Shiro Okubo and Louise Shelley

Chile began its re-democratisation process in 1990 with a profound lack of counter- money laundering standards. Over time, the nascent political order was compelled to build institutions and generate norms in light of the security principles promoted by foreign actors. However, Chile’s reluctance, for instance, to not create a financial intelligence unit (FIU) until 2003, put the country in a particular stance for assessing criminal proceedings. This article reviews the construction of Chile’s governance of money laundering and focuses specifically on the role played by the Unidad de Análisis Financiero (UAF, Chile’s FIU) in maximising inter-institutional governing relations. The paper reviews three periods of time: the institutionalisation era (1990–2002), the UAF’s formative years (2003–2008) and the policy-building phase (2009–2014). The research concludes by exploring how Chile’s case adds to our qualitative knowledge on democratic network governance.     

The governance of the financial action task force: an analysis of power and influence throughout the years

The international fight against money laundering illustrates changes in global governance as a result of the increasingly cross-border nature of crime and the need it creates for all involved to cooperate. The economic priorities and security concerns that surround it contributed to the strong evolution of global governance in this area and the status of anti-money laundering as a shared problem. The creation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), its expansion and cementation throughout the years, is a good example of the many forces working together to responding to the demands of emerging criminal threats and trends. It offers a good illustration of how relationships in global governance have influenced FATF’s priorities and action and ultimately the way in which illicit financial flows are tackled. This analysis offers an overview of FATF’s network across time taking into account the role of states, international organisations, and the private sector in the decision-making processes. It argues that Great Powers – a small, but aligned, group of states of global economic relevance – are responsible for FATF’s direction and the international efforts against illicit financial flows. It suggests, however, that unlike what could be expected, their power is declining following the rise of private sector influence through resourceful, organised and transnational actions e.g. on information sharing.     

网上支付中的民事责任研究

最高存储金额限制可以有效控制电子货币网上支付风险,但银行卡中的风险承担问题比较复杂.经济分析、比较研究和法学分析的结论是,我国银行卡风险承担规则应建立在有"责任限制"的无过错责任之上.未获授权使用时持卡人承担的责任应限制在1000元以内,至于超过限额以上的损失由发卡银行承担.     

Money launderers and tax havens: Two sides of the same coin?

This paper investigates whether tax havens have an incentive to maintain low regulatory standards in order to attract black money activities. Using a new dataset on money laundering regulation, the results of this study show that tax haven and money laundering services coincide within the same country. This effect is especially observable for regulative instruments which increase the probability of detecting money laundering; whereas in the case of punitive regulation for money laundering the complementary relationship is weaker, perhaps due to a “false friends” effect. If we classify tax havens according to their per capita GDP, poorer tax havens in particular tend to supply both services, because the gains from their tax haven status are low compared to those of wealthier and well-established tax havens. From a policy perspective the results add new insights to the debate on the welfare effects of tax havens since the results suggest that poorer tax havens might be reluctant to provide the necessary regulatory environment in order to constrain money laundering. This externality is beyond the familiar tax revenue effects caused by tax havens.     

Policing through misunderstanding: <Emphasis Type="Italic">insights from the configuration of financial policing</Emphasis>

How does a configuration of policing work regardless of the differences among its constituent members, who may relate to various social fields and range from for-profit organizations to law-enforcement and other state agencies? The article aims at providing some of the answers to this critical question in the light of financial policing, at the interface between the fields of finance and security. With the emphasis on money laundering and terrorist financing, financial policing resonates with other policing configurations that are ‘partly detached from the institutions of the police and start referring to a more general associative practice of assembling risk knowledge, technologies and agencies into networks that govern through rendering and distributing risks’ (Huysmans 2014). The paper argues that everyday financial policing is based on a misunderstanding, as both its current condition of possibility and the fundamental structure of communication between the involved parties. This focus on misunderstanding contributes to question traditional interpretations of (national and/or international) partnership against policing-related public problems. To help understand the paradoxical and controversial productivity of misunderstanding as a sine qua non condition of policing, the article draws on a transatlantic perspective with empirical research in the European Union Institutions, the United Kingdom and Canada.