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SPAK's report, crime "sophisticates" money laundering! Map, the most affected cities
2024-04-15 08:37:14 / AKTUALITET
Real estate is not only preferred to invest but also to launder money generated by criminal activities. SPAK says that crime money is mainly laundered in the construction sector, in the purchase of apartments, buildings, plots of land or the purchase of businesses.
As one of the most widespread crimes in the country, money laundering has become more sophisticated over the years, with the aim of camouflaging criminal money. Beyond real estate, SPAK reports that a significant portion of dirty money is being laundered by making investments in cars, luxury clothing, expensive brand watches, jewelry, and even investments in computer equipment.
Not all cities are attractive for money laundering, as this type of crime has also created a specific map, concentrated in cities where more money economy is generated. Investing in real estate with money suspected to come from criminal activity is mainly in Tirana, and in coastal areas mainly in Vlorë, Durrës and Lezhë.
Another form of money laundering last year, according to the report of the Special Prosecutor's Office, is through commercial companies, which have received money from abroad in their bank accounts, and serving as intermediaries have made transfers to other countries. Also, over the years there has been an increase in cases where deposits were made in bank accounts in Albania in the names of commercial companies or natural persons, relatives of the suspects.
"There is an increase in the use of commercial companies, which serve to receive and transfer money earned through criminal activities, distributing it through investments and regular commercial transactions. A significant number of deposits of money, which are suspected to be the products of criminal offenses in various bank accounts, which are mainly in the names of commercial companies or natural persons, relatives of the suspects, is noted, reports SPAK.
Last year, the number of registered proceedings for money laundering, SPAK says, has increased by 75% compared to 2022. Last year, 35 criminal proceedings were registered for money laundering alone, from 20 that was the number in 2022, or 15 in 2021. For the first time in 2023, the Special Prosecutor's Office has also conducted investigations related to cryptocurrencies and significant amounts of money deposited in bank accounts.
In the SPAK report, there have also been investigations into complex money laundering schemes involving international criminal organizations, where in these cases the money is laundered through the banking system, where the Albanian commercial entities that have received the money in their bank accounts have served as intermediaries. . Then this money went through transfers to other countries.
The scheme, how money is cleaned in Albania! SPAK report
The example of SPAK - How money is laundered by international criminal organizations
It should be noted that one of the complex schemes of money laundering is the use of Albanian banking institutions as a place of transit and the use of Albanian commercial entities as "intermediaries" of money laundering by international criminal organizations, such as the case of the Italian mafia .
Representatives of legitimate Albanian businesses in the role of professional "intermediaries" have helped to create access to the Albanian banking system, which would be used to carry out the "layering" of bank transfers to pass them on to other countries.
The most typical case is that of an individual who laundered money on behalf of Cosa Nostra in Italy. The money laundering scheme consisted of transferring money from the foundation he founded based in Liechtenstein, but with a bank account opened in Switzerland.
The money was first transferred from the foundation account to his personal account, in the same bank in Switzerland. From there, with the connections established with a commercial company in Albania, which played the role of a professional "intermediary", the money would first come to his personal account opened in a second-tier bank in Albania.
Afterwards, this money would be transferred to the Albanian trading company, which dealt with foreign fuel trade, and this company would transfer it to another trading company in Hong Kong, which would serve as a "guarantor" for the execution of fictitious transactions. for fuel purchases. For this service, the Albanian commercial society would benefit from 16% (approximately 3 million Euros) of the value of the money that would be laundered.
Money laundering scheme from abroad in Albania, part of SPAK report
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