Money laundering is the smuggling of illegally generated funds into the legal financial and economic cycle. Money laundering is a criminal offense. The Criminal Code criminalizes money laundering in Section 261 (1) with a prison sentence of up to five years.
Every year, the state loses millions of euros because the origin of the money is concealed. Therefore this is made a punishable offense by § 261StGB.
However, the Money Laundering Act also applies, which is intended to prevent the offenses from occurring. It obliges certain groups of people, such as financial service providers, to exercise particular care and supervision. This is intended to identify suspected money laundering cases as early as possible. Violations against this result in the charge of money laundering.
It is essential to prevent anonymous economic transactions. That is why banks and insurance companies, but also real estate agents, casinos and goods dealers are obliged to identify their business partners. They must report suspicious transactions or business relationships to the competent authorities. This is of particular importance for financial agents. These are people who make their private accounts available for money laundering transactions. In return for a commission, they pass on incoming amounts to backers abroad or other financial agents. Often there is an abuse of unsuspecting citizens who are abused by money launderers for their own purposes. Financial agents face fines for money laundering. Even a negligent commission can lead to penalties here.
A general assessment of when a criminal act has occurred cannot be given. It always depends on the circumstances of the individual case. The appointment of an experienced defense counsel is essential in such proceedings. A conviction for money laundering can not only result in severe penalties. Personal reliability as a trader, managing director, employee in the public service or other sensitive professions can be permanently called into question for the future.
Lawyer Andreas Junge is a specialist lawyer for criminal law and a certified advisor for criminal tax law. He has already defended countless such proceedings nationwide and brought them to an end.
Just send an email or call Andreas Junge’s office. He has his office in Berlin and a branch in Cottbus. The initial legal consultation is free of charge in any case. Short-term contact is also possible via mobile phone: 01792346907. Telegram, TelegrammX, Signal and WhatsApp are available.
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