WHAT IS MONEY LAUNDERING?
Money laundering is commonly defined as the process by which the returns of wrongdoing, and the genuine responsibility for continues, are changed with the goal that the returns seem to originate from an authentic source. Money laundering can emerge from little benefits and reserve funds from moderately minor violations, for example, administrative ruptures, minor tax avoidance or advantage extortion. An intentional endeavour to cloud the responsibility for assets isn't important.
There are three recognized stages to money laundering: placement, layering and integration. Be that as it may, the more extensive meaning of money laundering offences in POCA incorporates even aloof ownership of criminal property as money laundering.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING (AML)
AML is the term used to portray a lot of controls which require bodies who may be focused by money launderers to acquaint measures with forestall money laundering and to report suspicious exchanges. It is fundamentally a lot of authoritative obligations, which endorse the lead of certain callings in the arrangement of administrations in order to keep the abuse of these administrations as money laundering vehicles.
The lawful market is an alluring focus for those wishing to wash the returns of wrongdoing. Criminals need to instruct legal experts to offer authenticity to holding or exchanging money. Solicitors and law firms are at an expanded hazard since they:
- Normally hold vast entireties of money in pooled customer accounts
- Prompt and exchange money identifying with property and budgetary exchanges
- Approach money related markets and can encourage purchasing vast resources.
Solicitors assume a key job in recognizing and forestalling money laundering, and the Law Society as the named supervisory specialist under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 offers the administration's targets in guaranteeing the UK has a powerful and viable AML regime.
IMPLICATIONS OF ENCOURAGING MONEY LAUNDERING
Solicitors who encourage money laundering, regardless of whether intentionally or unwittingly, can confront genuine results including criminal arraignment and administrative assets.
SRA AML REGULATIONS:
The Solicitors Regulation Authority acts freely and is in charge of observing and implementing solicitors' compliance with their AML commitments. The AML Regulations intend to restrain the utilization of expert administrations for money laundering by expecting experts to know their customers and to screen the utilization of their administrations by customers. The AML regulations apply to people acting over the span of organizations carried on in the accompanying zones:
- Credit institutions
- Financial institutions
- Auditors, insolvency practitioners, external accountants and tax advisers
- Independent legal professionals
- Trust or company service providers
- Estate agents
- High-value dealers
- Casino
Activities covered by AML Regulations In terms of the activities covered, you should note that:
- Managing client money is more narrowly defined than handling it
- Opening or managing a bank account is defined more widely than simply opening a client account. It is likely to cover a legal professional acting as a trustee, attorney or a receiver.