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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri

Time: 12:01 pm

Results for illegal trafficking

3 results found

Author: Ardizzi, Guerino

Title: Money Laundering as a Financial Sector Crime - A New Approach to Measurement, with an Application to Italy

Summary: Anti–money laundering regulations have been centred on the “Know-Your-Customer” rule so far, overlooking the fact that criminal proceedings that need to be laundered are usually represented by cash. This is the first study which tries to provide an answer to the question of how much of cash deposited via an official financial institution can be traced back to criminal activities. The paper develops a new approach to measure money laundering and then proposes an application to Italy, a country where cash is still widely used in transactions and criminal activities generate significant proceeds. In particular, we define a model of cash in-flows on current accounts and proxy money laundering with two indicators for the diffusion of criminal activities related to both illegal trafficking and extortion, controlling also for structural (legal) motivations to deposit cash, as well as the need to conceal proceeds from tax evasion. Using a panel of 91 Italian provinces observed over the period 2005-2008, we find that the average total size of money laundering is sizable, around 7% of GDP, 3/4 of which is due to illegal trafficking, while 1/4 is attributable to extortions. Furthermore, the incidence of “dirty money” coming from illegal trafficking is higher in the Centre-North than in the South, while the inverse is true for money laundering coming from extortions.

Details: Munich, Germany: Center for Economic Studies (CES), the Ifo Institute and the CESifo GmbH (Munich Society for the Promotion of Economic Research), 2013. 30p.

Source: Internet Resource: CESifo Working Paper No. 4127: Accessed February 27, 2013 at: http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/publications/working-papers/CESifoWP/CESifoWPdetails?wp_id=19076139

Year: 2013

Country: Italy

URL: http://www.cesifo-group.de/ifoHome/publications/working-papers/CESifoWP/CESifoWPdetails?wp_id=19076139

Shelf Number: 127738

Keywords:
Extortion
Financial Crimes
Illegal Trafficking
Money Laundering (Italy)
Shadow Economy
White Collar Crime

Author: Willcox, Daniel

Title: An Assessment of Trade In Bear Bile and Gall Bladder in Viet Nam

Summary: TRAFFIC's research finds the illegal market for bears, bear parts and derivatives in Viet Nam is still strong, with only a moderate decline in open availability following the introduction of legislation to ban their sale in 2006. Released in the margins of the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, An assessment of trade in bear bile and gall bladder in Viet Nam (PDF, 6 MB), analysed data from surveys of shops in six cities across Viet Nam in 2012 and 2016. It followed a 2010–2011 TRAFFIC investigation into the bear bile trade across 13 countries and territories in Asia. In the 1990s, bear bile farms were established throughout Viet Nam to address increasing consumer demands. In 2005, the Vietnamese government made it illegal to extract bile from bears but not to keep them, and without a government-backed plan to deal with the thousands of bears then held in captivity, many bear farms kept their animals under the guise of wildlife refuges although owners were required to microchip and register their animals. Under legislation introduced in Viet Nam in 2006, it is illegal to hunt, transport, keep, advertise, sell, purchase and consume bear species or their parts and derivatives.

Details: Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: TRAFFIC, 2016. 46p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 21, 2016 at: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27336117/1479316776523/VN-Bears-Report.pdf?token=mJZIA3Ls2YKqsDGj5YavWfX2%2Fo8%3D

Year: 2016

Country: Vietnam

URL: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27336117/1479316776523/VN-Bears-Report.pdf?token=mJZIA3Ls2YKqsDGj5YavWfX2%2Fo8%3D

Shelf Number: 147850

Keywords:
Bears
Illegal Markets
Illegal Trafficking
Trafficking in Wildlife
Wildlife Crime
Wildlife Trafficking

Author: International Crisis Group

Title: The Central African Crisis: From Predation to Stabilisation

Summary: he crisis that has plagued the Central African Republic (CAR) since December 2012, particularly predation by both authorities and armed groups, has led to the collapse of the state. Under the Seleka, bad governance inherited from former regimes worsened. Its leaders looted state resources and controlled the countrys illicit economic networks. Ending this cycle of predatory rule and moving peacefully to a state that functions and can protect its citizens requires CAR’s international partners to prioritise, alongside security, economic revival and the fight against corruption and illegal trafficking. Only a close partnership between the government, UN and other inter­national actors, with foreign advisers working alongside civil servants in key ministries, can address these challenges. Governance under the short Seleka rule (March-December 2013) was deceptive: the regime proclaimed its positive intentions while, like its predecessors, plundering public funds and abusing power for self-enrichment. Though Seleka fighters were involved in illicit activities even before, once in power the movement asserted control of lucrative trafficking networks (gold, diamond and ivory). Their systematic looting destroyed what was already a phantom state. Retaliation by anti-balaka fighters against Muslims – the majority of traders are Muslim – aggravated the economic collapse. The economy fell apart even before the state; yet the current international intervention spearheaded by the G5 (African Union, UN, European Union, the U.S. and France) focuses for the most part on security. Troops are being mobilised, but if a principal cause of the conflict – entrenched predation – is left unaddressed, the international community will repeat the failures of its past interventions. Protecting citizens is important; but so too is rekindling economic activity and improving financial public management to help build an effective public governance system delivering services for all CAR citizens, both Muslim and Christian. A new UN mission (MINUSCA) will be deployed in September 2014. In addition to its current mandate – protecting civilians, assisting a political transition, supporting humanitarian work and monitoring human rights – it must change the incentive structure for better governance. It should prioritise rebuilding the economy and public institutions and fighting trafficking. The region and relevant multilateral organisations should be involved too. Targeted sanctions against spoilers in and outside CAR should be embedded in a more comprehensive strategy to revive the economy. Some politicians with ties to armed groups or who are eyeing what are for the moment hypothetical presidential elections could resist a tight partnership between the state and international community. But the transitional government's demand for strong international support offers an opportunity to forge such a partnership and adopt the policies essential to both stabilise the country and promote a change of governance.

Details: Brussels: International crisis Group, 2014. 37p.

Source: Internet Resource: Africa Report No. 219: Accessed March 8, 2017 at: https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/the-central-african-crisis-from-predation-to-stabilisation.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Africa

URL: https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/the-central-african-crisis-from-predation-to-stabilisation.pdf

Shelf Number: 141376

Keywords:
Illegal Trade
Illegal Trafficking
Illicit Networks
Natural Resources
Political Corruption