Les laundeurs play a key role in organized crime activities, allowing criminals to peacefully enjoy their illegally acquired fortune, details, in an interview with “world”, Anne-Sophie Coulbois, patron of the central office For the repression of great financial delinquency.
words collected by Thomas Saintourens
Anne-Sophie Coulbois heads the Central Office for the repression of great financial delinquency, responsible, among other things, to dismantle the money laundering networks. In 2022, this office, which currently has 150 open surveys, seized for more than 120 million euros in criminal assets: cash, bank accounts, real estate, luxury products or even “wallets” (portfoli) of cryptocurrencies .
What is the role of “launderers” in organized crime?
The objective of organized crime is to make maximum profits. The role of launders is therefore essential, because they are the ones who allow these groups to enjoy the fruits of their criminal activity as peacefully as possible. Most of the circuits put in place combine two factors: the use of a “cash market” in France and an international compensation system. On the one hand, organized criminal groups, including drug trafficking, want to get rid of their cash to whiten it. On the other, other types of criminals need species to indulge in their illegal operations (concealed work, smuggling, tax fraud …).
These complementary needs are put in contact by intermediaries: organized groups specializing in money laundering. It is the “cash market”. This market makes it possible to optimize the bleaching circuits by allowing the reuse of species locally, which reduces the criminal risk and the cost linked to their transport abroad.
To these national transactions is backed by an international compensation system which allows launders to provide the counterpart of species to traffickers, in any form whatsoever, abroad. The laundering circuits are in essence international: it takes many steps, often very complex, so that the money obtained in an illicit manner can be used again, in the form requested by the customer.
under What form is this “dirty” money is reinjected into the real economy?
In France, the laundering of high -level drug trafficking finances concealed work. It should be realized that the species which are used to remunerate “blackness” come from the sale of drugs. Companies using hidden work, especially in the construction, event or safety sectors, participate in this money laundering. This is also the case for tax fraudsters (even if we see less at the moment in our surveys), and especially the import-export of products.
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