Anti-Money Laundering and the Law: Comparative Approaches to Countering Predicate Crimes

This book provides a distinctive and critical analysis of the anti-money laundering (AML) measures that have been put in place in Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

The work presents a comparative analysis of if, and to what extent, the AML regimes in these jurisdictions are fit for purpose in countering some of the most pressing predicate crimes. It investigates the AML regimes relating to tackling the riskiest/most prevalent predicate crimes, that is, drug trafficking and tax crimes, thereby filling a significant gap within the current literature. The study provides insights into the effectiveness and efficiency of national AML frameworks adopted by Türkiye and the UK in addressing distinct crimes, thereby identifying essential features of an optimum AML ecosystem that could effectively address predicate crimes regardless of their nature. This novel approach offers a detailed analysis of the law in books and law in practice elements of the AML regimes in Türkiye and the United Kingdom which will set the tone for conducting similar studies in other jurisdictions.

The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of Financial Crime, Law Enforcement and Comparative Law.

Engin Erken is a major in the General Command of Gendarmerie (Turkey). Engin completed his PhD at the Research Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity at Coventry University. During his PhD studies, Engin participated as a research assistant in three EU-funded projects, namely VIRTEU (https: //www.virteu.com), PROTAX (https: //protax-project.eu), and TRACE (https: //trace-illicit-money-flows.eu). Engin is currently a lecturer in crime prevention strategies at Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy (Turkey). His research focuses on law enforcement practices in countering financial crimes with a specific interest in preventing money laundering and its underlying predicate offences.

Umut Turksen is a Professor in Law at the Centre Financial and Corporate Integrity of Coventry University. Umut is a business-facing legal academic, and he is interested in the practical application of the law in innovation, societal security, and development. He has provided consultancy and training to prestigious international businesses and government projects. He led the EU funded project ＂PROTAX,＂ which focused on the countering tax crimes in Europe, and he is currently coordinating another EU funded project, TRACE, (https: //trace-illicit-money-flows.eu) which aims to create technology-based solutions (including AI) for tracking illicit money and virtual asset flows. In addition to his expertise in financial crime, societal security, risk and compliance, Umut has published extensively on energy law and security, international trade law and development, and arbitration. See, https: //pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/umut-turksen for further details.