Money Laundering Solicitors

Typically there are three stages of money laundering:

1. Placement – This is when illegally made money (“dirty money”) is disguised by being placed into a legitimate financial system, such as an offshore account.
2. Layering – This is when someone creates a complex web of transactions to move dirty money within the financial system, usually via various offshore accounts. This makes it difficult for authorities to detect as the criminal strategically moves the money around to cover the trail of where the money originally came from.
3. Integration – The dirty money is then absorbed into the economy through a legitimate transaction to create a plausible explanation for where the money came from. The criminal can now use the dirty money because it appears to have come from a legal source.

In general, the police and regulatory bodies have the power to investigate, gather evidence, and prosecute offences of money laundering. They also prosecute non-compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) usually investigate large-scale and high-value money laundering. However, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who regulates the financial services sector, also supervises businesses’ compliance with Money Laundering Regulations 2007. The police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) also investigate money laundering offences.

The police and the regulators can impose financial penalties to punish corporate businesses convicted of failure to prevent money laundering. They can also impose professional disciplinary action on you or your business, such as losing FCA authorisation or suspending you from a certain professional registration.

If you’re convicted of a serious money laundering offence, you could be sentenced to serve time in prison. The maximum prison sentence for someone convicted of money laundering is 14 years.

If you’re under investigation for money laundering or you’re worried about an impending investigation, our specialist money laundering solicitors could get you the best outcome possible.

The regulators and police can charge you with criminal offences relating to money laundering, but they can also charge if you failed to put enough measures in place to prevent money laundering.

One way to prevent these charges against your regulated business is by making sure you report any suspicious activity. If you fail to do so, the regulators or the police may impose penalties on your business or you could face criminal prosecution.

We understand that Money Laundering Regulations may be a burden on your business. To help you with this, our expert regulatory team can advise you on how to make sure you comply with these regulations. This is the best way to protect yourself and your business against potential money laundering.

Visit our business pages for more help for your business.

We can help you if you run a business or if you’re an individual under investigation for money laundering

If you run a business, we can advise you on whether your business is regulated and what you need to do comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. We can also defend your business in any regulatory or criminal investigation. If the police or regulatory body have accused you of money laundering or inadequate compliance with the 2017 Regulations, we can help.

If you are an individual accused of money laundering, we can defend you in any criminal investigation or prosecution. Our experienced solicitors can help you through any of these events. We’ll make sure you’re kept informed and well represented throughout your case, giving you greater confidence and control during the investigation.

We’ve been involved in some of the largest money laundering investigations in the UK and we can also advise on cases with an international element. No case is too complex for us, so whatever your circumstances, you should contact our expert team.

We have experience in advising and representing clients through various kinds of money laundering investigations, including:

• NCA suspicious activity reports
• Interviews under caution or compulsion
• Compulsory document or information requests
• Execution of search warrants in offices and homes
• Seizure of property, restraint orders, and property and account freezing
• Criminal charges
• Prosecution in Magistrates’ or Crown Court
• Judicial Review.