THE CRIME OF MONEY LAUNDERING FROM A CONTEXTUAL PERSPECTIVE

Since the early 80''s, organised crime has penetrated social, business and economic spheres. In the last decade, this phenomenon has grown due to the development of e-commerce, new economy and to the various options which are now available. The institutions in charge of the stability and integrity of the markets are facing a specific challenge: the ability of organised crime to detect and to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the market to perpetrate its illicit trading. The challenge is even more enormous because of the lack of geographic boundaries and the ease in which money laundering activities can be disguised. This book analyzes the connections between a social unlawful phenomenon such as the laundering of dirty money and the laws which, throughout the years, have attempted to control by regulation and monitoring such phenomenon, involving also the legal profession. In other words, this research arises out of the curiosity to understand how the phenomenon of money laundering has been adapting to the changes of society and how the society itself and the legal system have been responding to such challenge.