Dirty Money‐Laundering: The Greek Experience
| Published date | 01 March 1994 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb025642 |
| Date | 01 March 1994 |
| Pages | 132-136 |
| Author | Stergios Alexiadis |
| Subject Matter | Accounting & finance |
Dirty Money-Laundering: The Greek
Experience
Stergios Alexiadis
Stergios Alexiadis
is Professor of Criminology and Penology in
the School of Law, Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki (Greece). He got his PhD in
Criminology in 1971 and was elected
Assistant Professor in Criminology and
Criminal Procedure in 1974 by the same
School.
He became Professor of
Criminology in the School of Law of
Democrites, University of Thrace in 1977,
moving to the School of Law of
Thessaloniki in 1984. He is Vice-
President of the Greek Society of
Criminology, and a member of legislative
working groups on prison rules and
criminal protection of the environment.
He has published books and articles on,
among others, the topics of
criminological and penological subjects
as well as on the protection of human
rights during the criminal trial and in
prisons.
ABSTRACT
Dirty money-laundering has been
con-
nected with organised crime; specifically,
with illicit drug-trafficking and violent forms
of it such as bank or other forms of robbery.
The problem of the most appropriate crime
policy in this area has attracted the interest
of various governmental and international
organisations, including the United Nations,
the Council of Europe and the European
Union.
Results of their efforts can be seen
in the United Nations Convention against
Illegal Drug Trafficking (containing special
provisions about the laundering of money
coming from drug-trafficking); the European
Convention for the Laundering, Searching,
Seizure and Confiscation of the Profits of
Crime;
and the Directive 91/308 of the
European Union.
Greece, being a Member State of the
above governmental organisations respond-
ed relevantly in two ways. First, she signed
and ratified the UN Convention against
Illegal Drug-Trafficking in law No. 1990/
1991.
Secondly, the Greek legislator passed
through Law No. 2145/1993, a new Article
394A in the special part of the penal code,
with the title 'On legitimating the profits from
criminal activity'. The penal choices of the
Greek legislator form the main focus of this
paper.
During recent decades concern about
economic crimes has markedly increased
in the international community. Various
states,
having conformed to suggestions
of international declarations, to resolu-
tions of international conferences as well
as of international conventions, are
responding to the relevant problems
with legislative activity.
An explanation of this intensive ac-
tivity to control economic crimes could
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