NCJ Number
240160
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 908-931
Date Published
September 2012
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study, part of a larger study, examined the economic, financial, and business-related movements of illegal money in Spain between the years 1995 and 2011.
Abstract
This is the first installment of the results from an empirical research project on money laundering in Spain. The research is based on the analysis of the court documents referring to 367 cases judged between 1995 and 2011. The numerous data obtained are contrasted with the quantitative and qualitative hypotheses published in the official papers of international institutions dedicated to fight money laundering. These hypotheses have been the basis for the development of the legal principles for the implementation of anti-laundering laws worldwide. The main conclusions of the research shed some light on the economic, financial and business-related movements of illegal money and amply refute those hypotheses. At the same time, these conclusions should invite the international community to reflect on the position presently held by the empirical knowledge about criminal realities in the process of working out legal initiatives to fight them. (Published Abstract)