Crime-money records, recovery and their meaning
Harvey, Jackie

Findings from money laundering research point to a government tendency to over-estimate the magnitude of money laundering activity as justification for the ever widening scope of legislation and the associated costs of implementation. As a legitimacy seeking activity, the authorities have sought to justify this stance through application of second best measures of efficiency based on volume of SARs, prosecutions, convictions and asset recovery. Drawing from one of these measures, that of asset recovery; this paper raises questions over the reliability and robustness of estimates of the level of crime-money circulating within the financial system by attempting to shed light on how criminals are disposing of their illegally acquired funds. Evi-dence from interrogation of asset recovery data suggests that criminal minds lack sophistication regarding potential investment decisions and, in consequence, money is not entering the financial system on anything like the scale that has been suggested. As such the threat rhetoric to reputation and integrity lacks underlying conviction and is an inappropriate basis for policy making.

The Cross-Border Crime Colloquium is an annual event since 1999. It brings together experts on international organised (economic) crime to discuss the latest developments in empirical research, legislation and law enforcement, with a special geographical focus on Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. The Colloquia aim at building bridges in three respects: between East and West Europe, between scholars and practitioners, and between old and young.

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