Predicate offense in money laundering cycle

Abstract

The article is devoted to the specific topic of the study of the concept, essence, types and meaning of the crime underlying money laundering. Special attention is paid to the topical issues of judicial review under Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on legalization (laundering) of criminally obtained property. The authors use general, intersectoral and special (sectoral) methods. The analysis of the judicial practice of Ukrainian courts, carried out by the authors, allows to state that the majority of cases of demanding criminal liability for money laundering occur either in case of existence of a conviction for an underlying offense or with simultaneous prosecution for both an underlying offense and money laundering. It is concluded that, the study of best practices in several countries gives grounds to suggest the possibility of prosecuting asset laundering as a separate criminal offense. Under such conditions, there will be no need to prosecute an underlying offense, especially if it is impossible to prove guilt for its commission.