Purpose

This study aims at elaborating whether the criminalization of illicit enrichment has the potential to be an efficient and well-balanced measure against profiting from serious crime.

Design/methodology/approach

This study offers a normative analysis of the concept of the criminalization of illicit enrichment, particularly from the perspective of the presumption of innocence. This paper supplements theoretical considerations using Lithuania, where illicit enrichment was criminalized a decade ago, as a case study. It analyses data of all 28 known criminal cases on illicit enrichment that resulted in judgements in Lithuania in 2015–2019.

Findings

The author concludes that on neither a fundamental nor practical level can the assumption that the criminalization of illicit enrichment efficiently carries out the task for which it was created be supported. Moreover, efforts to implement this legal strategy might unbalance the system of illicit asset recovery measures and obstruct the implementation of other promising legal instruments.

Originality/value

As very few states with developed democracy and strong rule of law traditions have implemented criminalization of illicit enrichment, there are very few if any empirical data or analysis of practices on this issue that could contribute to the theoretical discussion. This paper aims at contributing to fulfillment of this gap by presenting relevant data and insights from the perspective of Lithuanian criminal justice system.

中文翻译：

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追逐犯罪财富：立陶宛对非法致富定罪的预期破灭

目的

本研究旨在阐明将资产非法增加定为刑事犯罪是否有可能成为一种有效且均衡的措施，以防止从严重犯罪中获利。

设计/方法/方法

本研究对资产非法增加的刑事定罪概念进行了规范性分析，特别是从无罪推定的角度进行了分析。本文以立陶宛为例，补充了理论考量，立陶宛在十年前将资产非法增加定为刑事犯罪。它分析了 2015 年至 2019 年在立陶宛做出判决的所有 28 起已知的资产非法增加刑事案件的数据。

发现

作者得出的结论是，无论是在基本层面还是实践层面，都无法支持将资产非法增加定为刑事犯罪有效执行其创建任务的假设。此外，实施这一法律战略的努力可能会使非法资产追回措施体系失衡，并阻碍其他有希望的法律文书的实施。

原创性/价值

由于拥有发达民主和强大法治传统的国家很少将资产非法增加定为刑事犯罪，因此对于这一问题的实证数据或实践分析可以对理论讨论有所贡献的情况很少。本文旨在通过从立陶宛刑事司法系统的角度提供相关数据和见解，为弥补这一差距做出贡献。