Money laundering is an independent criminal offence, the essence of which is the concealment of an illegal proceeds obtained through the commission of a criminal offense. In practice, it is a process whose purpose is to convert illegally obtained funds (dirty money) into legal purchasing power through successive stages of investment, while concealing the actual source of funds. However, money laundering is a crime without a direct victim, which raises the question of what consequences such a crime causes. In theory, attention is paid mainly to identifying the most effective anti-money laundering system, but there is little talk about the actual consequences that money laundering produces. Because money laundering is regarded as a criminal offence against the economy, this master's thesis focuses on discovering the economic consequences that this act causes. In doing so, the actual money laundering process is first presented by describing all phases of the process and some of the most typical or innovative typologies. This is followed by a legal definition of money laundering and a presentation of anti-money laundering system. Due to the overall globalization and the improved connections between countries, money laundering has also become increasingly international. For the effective prevention of money laundering uniform international legislation and its harmonized implementation in practice are essential. In the last chapter, the master's thesis covers the economic consequences caused by money laundering and how they affect the economic growth of a particular economy. It also presents how money laundering differently affects developed and developing countries. In the end, the author gives his findings on the seriousness of the consequences of money laundering and presents his opinion on the most effective anti-money laundering system.
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