Laundering of Crime Proceeds in Albania: Effectiveness of Legal Framework Amendments; Theoretical and Practical Analyze

Abstract

Organized crime is constantly trying to hide its consequences (income and other assets), turning them into legitimate wealth by hiding their sources and continuing in this way the illegal activity. The study focuses in Albanian case, by presenting a general approach to laundering of crime proceeds (especially money laundering) and by analyzing what this offence represents in criminological aspect. Also, it presents the evolution of domestic law and the way the objective and subjective elements of the offence are materialized. The study concludes that actually there have been proper legislative amendments, but for an effective fight against crime proceeds laundering, the executive institutions should be focused on the criminal activity from which the dirty money and assets come such as trafficking, corruption, tax evasion etc. and on law implementation. To arrive at this conclusion, it was necessary to analyze laws and law amendments, and the decisions of the Court of Appeals in Tirana, Criminal College of Supreme Court as well as the unifying decisions of Supreme Court.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n4p197