Money laundering through consulting companies
Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance
ISSN: 1358-1988
Article publication date: 20 April 2020
Issue publication date: 21 July 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how illegally obtained funds are laundered by employment of consulting companies in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative content analysis of 28 semi-standardized expert interviews with both criminals and prevention experts, and a quantitative survey of 200 compliance officers led to the identification of concrete money-laundering techniques involving the employment of consulting companies.
Findings
Consulting companies continue to be used for money laundering in European German-speaking countries, especially in the layering and integration stages of the money laundering process, during which the origins of funds are concealed, and the money is integrated into the legal economy.
Research limitations/implications
Qualitative findings from the analysis of semi-standardized interviews are limited to the 28 interviewees’ perspectives.
Practical implications
Identification of gaps in existing anti-money-laundering mechanisms provides compliance officers, law enforcement agencies and legislators with valuable insights into how criminals operate.
Originality/value
The existing literature focuses on organizations that combat money laundering and the improvement of anti-money-laundering measures. This paper outlines how money launderers avoid detection. Both preventative and criminal perspectives are considered.
Keywords
Citation
Teichmann, F.M. and Falker, M.-C. (2020), "Money laundering through consulting companies", Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 485-500. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRC-07-2019-0091
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited