4. Money Laundering Flashcards
What are the three phases of money laundering?
- Placement
- Layering
- Integration
Can passive possession of criminal property be money laundering?
Yes
What happens during placement?
Cash generated from crime is placed in the financial system
What does layering involve?
Obscuring the origins of the proceeds of crime by passing them through complex transactions
What is integration and what are some examples of how it can be achieved?
Making the funds appear to be legitimate.
Investing funds in businesses or other forms of investment.
At what stages is a solicitor most likely to become involved in money laundering?
Layering or integration stages
To whom does the Proceeds of Crime Act generally apply?
Everyone
However, to whom are certain offences, e.g. failure to report and tipping off under POCA reserved for?
Persons engaged in activities in the regulated sector
What is the presumption of a predicate offence in the context of money laundering?
Money laundering offences presume that a criminal offence has occurred in order to generate the criminal property being laundered
Is a conviction of a predicate offence required for a prosecution for a money laundering offence?
No
Are there inchoate offences related to money laundering offences?
Yes. It is an offence to conspire or attempt to launder, and to counsel, aid, abet, or procure money laundering.
What is the maximum penalty for the principal money laundering offences?
14 years in prison and/or unlimited fine
What are the three direct money laundering offences?
- Concealing
- Arrangement
- Acquisition, use, or possession
When does a person commit the offence of concealing?
When they conceal, disguise, convert, or transfer criminal property or remove it from the UK
What is criminal property?
Any property derived from criminal conduct, including money, real and personal property, and intangible property whether in the UK or not
What is the extent to which concealing or disguising applies?
Concealing or disguising the property’s nature, but also its source, location, or ownership
What is the mental state required to commit the offence of concealing (and arrangement and acquisition)?
Subjectively know or suspect that the property represents a benefit from criminal conduct
What are the three timings which determine the authorised disclosure defence available to a charge of concealing (and arrangement and acquisition)?
- Before concealing
- During concealing
- After concealing
What is the authorised disclosure defence if disclosure is made before concealing?
It is a full defence if a person makes an authorised disclosure of the act to police, customs officer, or other nominated officer within the organisation, before the act
What is the authorised disclosure defence if disclosure is made during concealing?
It is a full defence during the act if:
- Person had no relevant knowledge or suspicion when the act started
- Disclosure was made as soon as practicable after knowledge or suspicion; and
- Disclosure was made on the person’s own initiative (not prompted by imminent discovery/encouragement of another)
What is required to avail of the authorised disclosure defence if disclosure is made after concealing?
There must have been good reason why a disclosure was not made
Which way is the conflict between disclosure as a defence to concealing and the duty of confidentiality resolved?
Disclosure is an exception to the general duty of confidentiality
In what instance can a solicitor be excused from disclosing in the context of concealing?
Where legal professional privilege applies
In what situation could a solicitor not rely on legal professional privilege in the context of concealing?
Where the solicitor knows the transaction they are working on is a money laundering offence, or they suspect it and their suspicions are true.
Therefore, the offence can be committed by suspecting or knowing, but where LPP applies, the solicitor must know in order to lose the privilege, or suspect it and be right in the facts.
In the context of concealing, what if a solicitor merely suspects the transaction they are working on is a money laundering offence?
Although suspecting is enough to satisfy the mens rea, the ability to rely on the privilege as a defence is only lost when they know, or their suspicions are found to be true
When does a person commit the offence of arrangement?
When they know or suspect what they are doing facilitates the acquisition, retention, use, or control of criminal property by or on behalf of another person
Conduct in what context is exempt from the offence of arrangement?
The offence does not cover or affect the ordinary conduct of litigation, from issue to disposal of final judgment
What is one exception to the litigation exemption to arrangement?
Sham litigation for the purpose of money laundering would be an offence
What are the defences to arrangement?
The same disclosure defence as concealing
When does a person commit the offence of acquisition?
When they acquire, use, or possess criminal property