The Conduct of Laundering Money through Transport of Cash in the Middle East and North Africa Region

This article mainly aims to detect and understand how money laundering activities are executed by transport of cash, identifying the underlying factors and separating legitimate from illegitimate usage of cash and how it is being used. This research provides academics with additional literature and provides bank supervisors and practitioners with a better understanding of sources and uses of cash in criminal activities and how cash is used in the laundering mechanism. Data are gathered through survey in the Middle East and North Africa region and review of the available research. The results of the analysis will help distinguish the factors affecting preference for cash rather other payment instruments in the region, identify what causes the tendency to launder illegal proceeds through cash transportation and how illegal cash is being laundered and moved. On the other hand, this paper sheds the light on major cash generating criminal activities, its sources and main destinations.


Authors:



References:
[1] Bagnal, J., Bounie, D. et al (2014) ‘Consumer Cash Usage – a Cross Country Comparison with Payment Diary Survey Data’, ECB Working Paper Series, no. 1685, June 2014, European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
[2] Knouse, K.C. (1996), True Prosperity: Your Guide to a Cash-Based Lifestyle, Double-Dome Pubns.
[3] The World Bank Little Data Book on Financial Inclusion, April 2015.
[4] Federal Reserve (2015a), Currency in Circulation: Volume, updated 19 February 2015, Federal Reserve, Washington, United States.
[5] Consumer Cash Usage – a Cross Country Comparison with Payment Diary Survey Data’, Bagnall, Bounie et.al. ECB Working Paper Series no. 1685, June 2014.
[6] Walker, J. (1999), ‘How big is global money laundering?’, Journal of Money Laundering Control, 3 (1); Walker, J. (2002), Just How Big is Global Money Laundering?, Sydney: Australian Institute of Criminology Seminar.
[7] UNODC (2011), Estimating illicit financial flows resulting from drug trafficking and other transnational organizes crimes.
[8] Baker, R.W. (2005). Capitalism’s Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How the Renew the Free-Market System. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.