Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This thesis argues that the building of the democratic institutions in new democracies was and still is a painstaking task. It shows that the new institutions are fragile and at times unable to cope with powerful organized criminal syndicates, rampant corruption, illegalism, elite bureaucratic cartels, and weak judicial systems still in the process of post communist reconstruction. This thesis proceeds from the premise that organized crime constitutes a threat to democracy, in particular a serious threat to new democracies and subsequently to the national security of the country. The first section defines organized crime as phenomena corroding the democratic institutions. It deals in particular with the fragility of the new democratic institutions focusing mainly on the organized crime activities that threaten the national security. It tackles problems of corruption in government and law enforcing agencies. Secondly, it considers issues of merging of crime and legal business and their impact on the institutions and society at large. Thirdly and most importantly it focuses on the fact that organized crime merges with the State machinery, thus undermining the very existence of democratic institutions. Fourthly, it looks into some forms of criminal activities such as drug business, weapons trade, money laundering, and white-slave trade. Finally it provides some policy recommendations for tackling the organized crime in Albania. / MP, Parliament of the Republic of Albania

Bakgrund Penningtvätt är en typ av ekonomisk brottslighet där olagligt förtjänta pengar tvättas rena i den lagliga ekonomin. Cirka 130 miljarder kronor penningtvättas årligen i Sverige och eftersom det görs genom den lagliga ekonomin påverkar det samhället. Auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter arbetar nära kunders ekonomi och har tillgång till deras transaktioner. År 2018 anmäldes endast 7 fall av 19 306 av misstankar om penningtvätt från verksamhetsutövare inom revision och bokföring, trots auktoriserade redovisningskonsulters förutsättningar att upptäcka penningtvätt visar statistiken en annan riktning. Syfte Syftet med studien är att utforska varför auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter anmäler få fall av misstankar om penningtvätt. Metod Denna kvalitativa studie har främst en deduktiv ansats. Teorierna Beslutsteori, Struktur respektive bedömning, Bedrägeritriangeln och Modiferingsmodellen inom bedrägeri & revision har tillämpats på empiri. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom primärdata i form av intervjuer och har sedan analyserats med en tematisk analysmetod. Slutsats Studiens resultat visar flera olika anledningar varför få fall av misstankar om penningtvätt anmäls av auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter. Anledningarna kan vara att auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter har för lite kunskap och förståelse om penningtvätt samt att de bedömer bort risker i ett för tidigt skede. Studien bidrar med att uppmärksamma auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter om penningtvätt och hur förändringar bör ske för att kunna öka antalet anmälningar. / Introduction Money laundering is a kind of financial crime, illegal earned money is washed through the legal economy. About 130 billion SEK is money laundered annually in Sweden and since the money laundry is done through the legal economy it affects the society at large. Authorized accounting consultants work closely with customers’ finances and they have access to their transactions. In 2018 there were 19 306 suspicions of money laundering that were reported. Only 7 of these cases were reported by operators in auditing and accounting, despite the fact the authorized accounting consultants have the preconditions to detect money laundering even though statistics shows otherwise. Purpose The purpose of the study is to explore why authorized accounting consultants reports only a few cases of money laundering suspicions. Method This qualitative study mainly has a deductive approach. The theories used throughout the study are Decision theory, Structure and judgement, The fraud triangle and The modification model in fraud and auditing. These theories have been applied to empirical data throughout the study. The empirical data has been collected through primary data, interviews, which has been analysed with a thematic analysis method. Conclusion The study shows several different reasons why only a few cases of money laundering suspicions are reported by authorized accounting consultants. The reasons for the few reports of money laundering may be that authorized accounting consultants lack knowledge and understanding of money laundering. Risk assessment at an early stage is another contributing factor. The study coerces authorized accounting consultants to pay closer attention to money laundering and how changes should take place in order to increase the number of reports.

Tidigare studier och undersökningar visar en utbredd skattebrottslighet inom byggbranschen. Branschen har framförallt haft problem med brottslighet relaterad till svartjobb. Problemen i fuskbenägna branscher vänta-des öka efter avskaffandet av revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag, då revision har en granskande funktion som både kan avhjälpa och upptäcka fel i redovisning. Idag är det drygt åtta år sedan revisionsplikten avskaffades och det är av stor betydelse att mäta effekten av lagändringen, samt att undersöka behovet av revision i arbetet mot att förebygga skattebrott inom byggbranschen. Studiens syfte är att undersöka och analysera behovet av revision för små bolag inom den svenska byggbranschen, i förebyggandet av skattebrott. Studien siktar på att ge en utökad förståelse om revision motverkar kriminell verksamhet, som leder till uteblivna skatteintäkter och en dysfunktionell konkurrens i branschen.                        Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med målet att besvara olika frågeställning-ar som berör revision och skattebrott. Det empiriska materialet är inhämtat genom en innehållsanalys av tingsrättsfall som omfattar skattebrotts-domar mellan åren 2011–2017. Data analyserades med besvarande av fem delföreställningar. Studien visar ett behov av revision i förebyggandet av skattebrott inom den svenska byggbranschen. Denna slutsats är grundad på resultaten som visar att; byggbranschen är överrepresenterad i fall om skattebrott, att förekomsten av revision i små byggbolag är mindre än rikssnittet i fallen som skattebrott, att skattebrott till följd av osanna fakturor är mer förekommande inom byggbranschen jämfört med övriga branscher, samt att revision är mer förekommande i fallen med penningmaskering än i övriga fall. Studien visade också det oförväntade resultatet att skattebrotten i små byggbolag inte hade ökat efter avskaffandet av revisionsplikten, vilket kan relateras till teorin om att det finns ett stort mörkertal av skattebrott delvis till följd av utebliven revision. / Previous studies show a widespread of tax crime in the construction industry. The industry has mainly had problems with crimes related to undeclared work. Problems in fraudulent industries are expected to increase after the abolition of the audit obligation for small limited liability companies, as auditing has an examining function that can both remedy and detect errors in the accounting. Today, more than eight years have passed since the statutory audit was abolished and it is of great importance to measure the effect of the amendment, and to investigate the need for audit in the work aiming to prevent tax crimes in the construction industry. The aim of the study is to investigate and analyze small companies' need for audit within the Swedish Construction Industry in the work to prevent tax crimes. The study aims to provide an enhanced understanding of whether auditing counteracts criminal activity in the construction industry, which leads to tax evasion and a dysfunctional competition on the market. The study has a qualitative approach with the aim of answering various questions concerning audit and tax crimes. The empirical material is obtained through a content analysis of district court cases involving tax crime sentences between the years of 2011–2017. Data were analyzed through answering five partial questions. The study shows a need for audit in the work aiming to prevent tax crimes in the Swedish Construction Industry. The conclusion is based on the results that shows; an over-representation of construction companies in cases of tax crimes, that the presence of auditors in small construction companies is less than the national average in cases about tax crimes, that tax crimes as a result of false invoices are more prevalent in the construction industry compared to other industries, and that the auditor is more prevalent in the cases of reverse money laundering than in other cases. The study also showed the unexpected result that the tax crimes did not increase among small construction companies after the abolition of the statutory audit, which can be related to the theory of a large number of un-detected cases of tax crimes partly as a result of inexistent audit.

L’intelligence économique (I.E) peut-elle contribuer à mieux lutter contre le blanchiment de capitaux et le financement du terrorisme (LBC/FT) et, si oui, comment ? Un diagnostic a permis de mettre en évidence des carences qui, au plan institutionnel se matérialisaient par des réponses insuffisantes en raison non seulement de l’absence de contraintes à l’échelle mondiale, mais aussi en raison de la primauté d’intérêts politico-économiques au détriment des dynamiques régionalistes et corporatives. Au plan opérationnel, il est apparu que les faiblesses sont liées à l’absence de prise en compte de l’I.E. Placée au cœur du renseignement, cette thèse soutient que l’I.E peut s’adapter au contexte de la lutte contre la criminalité financière et servir à mieux lutter contre le phénomène. Elle a cherché à montrer en quoi les méthodes et outils d’investigation, d’analyse de l’environnement, d’anticipation, d’influence et de contre-influence de l’I.E pouvaient répondre aux besoins des acteurs de la lutte contre le blanchiment de capitaux et le financement du terrorisme. Elle s’est également projetée sur le rôle que pourraient jouer les acteurs de l’I.E dans la LBC/FT. / Competitive and Strategic Intelligence (CST) can it contribute to better anti-money laundering - combating the financing of terrorism (AML / CFT), if so, how ? A diagnosis has helped highlight deficiencies that, institutionally are materialized by insufficient responses not only because of lack of constraints on a global scale, but also because of the primacy of political and economic interests to the detriment of regionalist and corporate dynamics. Operationally, it appeared that the weaknesses are related to the failure to take into account the CST. Placed at the heart of intelligence, this thesis argues that CST can adapt to the context of the fight against financial crime and serve to better the fight against the phenomenon. It sought to show how the methods and tools of investigation, analysis of the environment, anticipation, influence and influence-against CST could meet the needs of stakeholders in the AML/CFT. It also projected on the potential role of CST actors in AML / CFT.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:34:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Saadi.pdf: 1202892 bytes, checksum: 2295709c9bd16ad44c037d16283b746e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-12 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / It is treated of work that seeks to demonstrate the importance of the combat to the money laundering crime once the same has been provoking several damages to States and the society as a completely. For that we demonstrated what is the money laundering crime, we demonstrated the Brazilian law on the theme, we mentioned the main national and international organisms dipped in the combat to the illicit. We continued the work demonstrating the legislation on the theme in the countries of South America and we concluded making a proposal of legislative alteration seeking to give more effectiveness and efficiency to our law. / Trata-se de trabalho que visa demonstrar a importância do combate ao crime de lavagem de dinheiro, já que o mesmo tem provocado diversos danos aos Estados e à sociedade como um todo. Para isso demonstraremos o que é o crime de lavagem de dinheiro, exporemos a lei brasileira sobre o tema, citaremos os principais organismos nacionais e internacionais imbuídos no combate ao ilícito. Continuaremos o trabalho explanando a legislação sobre o tema nos países da América do Sul e finalizaremos o trabalho fazendo uma proposta de alteração legislativa visando dar mais efetividade e eficiência à nossa lei.

This thesis advances global governance literature by focusing on the conditions under which procedural harmonisation occurs and how it is characterised. It suggests that the existence of a network of intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) complements great powers’ action and acts as a force for harmonisation in the making of international anti-money laundering (AML) standards. Procedural harmonisation is identified firstly, through a discussion on great power coalitions and how their interests set international agendas and impose compliance. Secondly, it is also recognised as an outcome of the IGOs’ network action through shared preferences, resource exchanges and stable relationships. Ultimately, the analysis determines that great powers are a necessary but not sufficient condition for procedural harmonisation, which is moreover favoured when legitimacy, expertise, and the need to achieve compliance are present. In sum, the thesis discusses the impact of international actors’ interactions in the making of international AML standards from 1989 to 2014, particularly the development of FATF Recommendations on ‘Customer Due Diligence’. The analysis identifies that the United States and the European Union, as great powers and members to the G-7, are the most influential actors. However, it adds that the IGOs network structure created between the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism is also a necessary actor to the achievement of procedural harmonisation. Data analysis is carried out through process-tracing, which triangulates elite interviews and non-participant observation with primary and secondary documents of legal, policy and expert nature. This thesis concludes that: a) procedural harmonisation is a product of international cooperation; b) IGOs gain influence in standard-making through network structures; and, c) procedural harmonisation may be an example to future global governance strategies if complemented with levels of legitimacy, expertise and the need to achieve compliance.

Ineffective compliance programs expose banking and trust companies to increased risk of money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF). Using risk management theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore compliance strategies that Bahamian bank and trust company managers use to reduce ML/TF risks. Study participants comprised 7 senior risk and compliance managers experienced in risk strategy development and implementation. Semistructured interview data were triangulated with data collected from internal policy and procedural documents, publicly available papers of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), and the Central Bank of The Bahamas. Thematic coding resulted in 3 emergent themes including developing compliance strategies, overcoming operational challenges, and strategy success and measurement. Findings showed that effective compliance strategies resulted from risk and compliance managers' assessments of ML/TF risks posed by potential and existing clients. The implications for social change include the potential to prevent reputation damage attributed to ML/TF risks, reduce the failure rate of Bahamian bank and trust companies, and thus positively impact employment and tax revenue used for social programs in The Bahamas.

Under våren 2019 drabbades bankvärlden av nyheten om att penningtvätt förekommit under en längre tid i en av de svenska storbankerna. Diskussionerna i media har varit många och frågan har ställts hur banken ska gå vidare från missödet. Något som inte uppmärksammats i media är hur kunderna påverkas, som är bankens inkomstkälla, av en sådan händelse. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka om bankkunderna i Dalarna påverkas vid bankkrisen penningtvätt. Tidigare forskning indikerar att en bankkris påverkar kunder så pass mycket att förtroendet minskar och de väljer att byta bank. För att undersöka om penningtvätt har liknande inverkan på kunderna utformades en enkät som totalt 95 respondenter besvarade. Resultatet togs fram med hjälp av statistiska metoder och en av slutsatserna som kunnat dras är att förtroendet påverkas om det förekommer penningtvätt inom banken, men inte tillräckligt mycket för att byta bank. / In the spring of 2019, the world received the news that one of the major Swedish banks had been laundering money for quite some time. There has been discussion in the media over the last year about how the bank will be able to move forward after this. A question that has not yet been addressed in the media is how this crisis affects the opinions and actions of the bank’s customers in Dalarna. Earlier research indicates that a crisis in the banking world affects a bank’s credibility to the extent that the customers choose to change banks. To find out if this crisis regarding money laundering has a similar effect, a survey was created, and a total of 95 people answered. Statistical methods were used to get the results, and they show that the general opinion regarding the bank’s credibility indeed was affected, but not enough to make the customers change banks.

The introduction, and evolution of securitisation over the years, has made a phenomenal contribution to the area of corporate finance. Securitisation is specialised area which has evolved to deliver considerable advantages to banks and their corporate and government clients, a sub-subjected explored in this thesis. Securitisation is using the cashflow, creditworthiness and collateral of receivables to raise finance from the capital markets. To date, research on the subject of securitisation has produced a few textbooks and numerous articles written by academics and practitioners. The ambit of these writings addresses three questions, namely, what is securitisation; how does it work in practice; and how can securitisation be developed so that it can continue delivering advantages in the evolving world of corporate finance. Securitisation is very much a practical subject, and given that the author had very little, if any, practical exposure to the subject prior to developing this thesis, the author, admittedly, felt challenged to ascertain significant issues that could be developed to the extent that such development represents an original contribution to knowledge. Case law in the US had already explored the most significant issue regarding securitisation, namely, true sale. Armed with a solid theoretical base of knowledge that author looked for inspiration, and discovered it during the initial days when the Enron scandal hit the headlines. In short, the Enron scandal involved using the concept of securitisation to facilitate financial crime. The masterminds (if its appropriate to use such description) of the scandal, as this thesis will unfold later, cleverly used thousands of securitisation and hedging transactions to raise funds in order to give financial creditability to a giant corporation which on the surface appeared prosperous but, in reality, was breathing to a large extent on borrowed funds. This scandal, in which securitisation was used, inspired the author to develop the originality of the thesis by focusing on the issue of securitisation and financial crime. Given that financial crime is a huge area to explore, the author narrowed the focus to look at money laundering, and address the question: can the practice of securitisation facilitate money laundering? To approach this question and answer it at doctorate level required a solid understanding of what securitisation is and how it works in practice. Using textbooks, articles and conversations with practitioners, the thesis documents under Part 1, what securitisation is and how it works in practice before moving on to Part 2 to look at if and how securitisation can facilitate money laundering.

Every phenomenon evolves with times. Illicit activities like Transnational Organized Crimes (TOC) are not an exception in this regard. Africa, especially West and Southern Africa, have been challenged by a number of TOCs. Ghana and South Africa are amongst the countries in West and Southern Africa that have been subjected to a range of crimes of this nature. Drug trafficking and money laundering are the most prominent illicit activities in Ghana and South Africa. Drug trafficking and money laundering has been prevalent in Ghana and South Africa to such an extent that it has contributed to the growth of illicit economy. Increased size of illicit economy, constrained state capacity and expansion of TOCs are amongst effects of drug trafficking and money laundering in Ghana and South Africa. This dissertation evaluates state capacity in relation to drug trafficking and money laundering in Ghana and South Africa in the period from 2001 to 2011. Regulatory, administrative, technical and extractive are elements of state capacity being looked at. The research used qualitative research method, this was achieved through textual analysis of secondary sources. Regulatory, administrative, and technical state capacity elements have been fairly operational in dealing with drug trafficking and money laundering in the period from 2001 to 2011 in the two countries being looked at. On the other hand extractive state capacity element has been struggling from 2001 to 2011 in reducing drug trafficking and money laundering in Ghana and South Africa. It is clear that globalization has played an important role in the occurrence of the two TOCs under discussion. To better understand TOCs further research needs to look at other regions within and outside Africa. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.