Theoretical determination of money laundering

Abstract

The problem of money laundering is present both nationally and internationally and is considerably pronounced in those societies where organized crime attempts to legalize profit gained through criminal activities and infiltrate into economic flows in order to control certain economic and political processes. Criminal activities preceding gaining of illegal profit, the manners of money laundering and methods of fighting them contain certain specific characteristics which must be researched in order to be able to consider all aspects of money laundering, especially to plan appropriate strategy to suppress it. Money laundering is accompanying form of organized crime and other forms of property-related crimes that enable legalization of assets gained through criminal activities. Criminal organizations, groups and individuals hide the origin and existence of illegally acquired property by money laundering, as well as their own criminal activities. In this paper the author analyzes many definitions by domestic and foreign authors, so that he would finally deduce all important elements comprising the notion of money laundering and define money laundering himself. When defining money laundering, the author tried to include all existing forms in his own definition and to quote all important characteristics of this phenomenon, as well as to explain the procedure of money laundering which unwinds in stages. Considering certain characteristics of money laundering, the author presents them from the aspect of their relation to organized crime and corruption as close forms of crime, which is very important from the aspect of prevention of money laundering.

Pranje novca je prateći oblik organizovanog i drugih oblika imovinskog kriminaliteta koji omogućava legalizaciju sredstava stečenih kriminalnom delatnošću. Kriminalne organizacije, grupe i pojedinci pranjem novca prikrivaju poreklo i postojanje nelegalno stečene imovine, kao i sopstvenu kriminalnu delatnost. U radu smo pokušali da definišemo pranje novca trudeći se da definicijom obuhvatimo postojeće oblike i navedemo sve bitne karakteristike ove pojave, kao i da objasnimo postupak pranja novca koji se odvija postepeno u fazama. Takođe, pokušali smo da pranje novca dovedemo u vezu sa drugim vrstama kriminaliteta i ukažemo na postojeće razlike između njih.