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THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN "FINANCIAL OPERATIONS" AND "OTHER TRANSACTIONS" IN THE CONTEXT OF MONEY-LAUNDERING UNDER THE RUSSIAN CRIMINAL CODE Aroyan M.Yu. (Russian Federation) Email: Aroyan447@scientifictext.ru
Aroyan Mariam Yurievna - Bachelor Student, LAW DEPARTMENT, SAINT-PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY, SAINT-PETERSBURG
Abstract: offences of the articles of the Russian Criminal Code concerning money-laundering conduct take two forms. There is an argumet among some scholars on whether accomplishment offinancial operations are equal to other transactions in monetary funds or other property knowingly acquired by illegal conduct in the meaning of the crime at hand. This question is practically important for the qualification of such crimes. The author of the present work aims to come to the statement whether these two forms are equal or shall be distinguished.
Keywords: the Criminal Code of the Russian federation, economical crime, money laundering, anti-money laundering regulation, financial operations, transactions.
РАЗГРАНИЧЕНИЕ ПОНЯТИЙ «ФИНАНСОВЫЕ ОПЕРАЦИИ»
И «ИНЫЕ СДЕЛКИ» В КОНТЕКСТЕ ЛЕГАЛИЗАЦИИ ПРЕСТУПНЫХ ДОХОДОВ ПО УГОЛОВНОМУ КОДЕКСУ РФ Ароян М.Ю. (Российская Федерация)
Ароян Мариам Юрьевна - студент бакалавриата, юридический факультет, Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет, г. Санкт-Петербург
Аннотация: по смыслу Уголовного кодекса Российской Федерации объективная сторона легализации преступных доходов выражается в двух формах. Среди ученых-правоведов существует спор касательно идентичности понятий финансовой операции и иной сделки в контексте преступлений по легализации (отмыванию) денежных средств или иного имущества, приобретенного преступным путем. Данный вопрос имеет практическое значение для квалификации подобных составов. Цель данной работы - выяснить, следует ли разграничивать указанные понятия по смыслу Уголовного кодекса Российской Федерации.
Ключевые слова: Уголовный кодекс Российской Федерации, экономические преступления, отмывание преступных доходов, легализация преступных доходов, антиотмывочное законодательство, финансовые операции, сделки.
Two articles of the CC of the Russian Federation criminalise the money laundering. Article 174 of the CC imposes liability for the laundering of the proceeds of crime committed by another person, while the article 174.1 provides liability when the launderer committed the predicate offence himself.
Offence of these articles takes two forms, accomplishment of financial operations and other transactions in monetary funds or other property knowingly acquired by illegal conduct. There is a discussion among scholars whether this two forms are equal or shall be distinguished. The Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court on Court Practices Concerning the Legalisation (Laundering) of Monetary Funds or Other Property Obtained Illegally and Acquisition or Sale of Property, Knowingly Obtained in a Criminal Manner
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(dated 7 July 2015, № 32) explains that financial operations can be understood as any operations with monetary funds while transactions can include actions aimed to establish, change or terminate civil rights and obligations as well as to create a pretence of such establishment and transfer of civil rights and duties. Probably, the legislator wanted to name both of these terms to exclude the abuse from defendants, that could invoke the arguments based on the nature of laundering transaction. Many scholars consider financial operation as a type of transaction [1, p. 26], [2, p. 7]. Others insists that financial operation provides transaction and cannot invoke or change civil rights and duties itself [3, p. 149]. However, it is more preferable that the concept of financial operation does not correspond to the definition of transaction as a general rule. They can both describe the same and involve each other, however it cannot constitute a general principle as it would rather be dependable on certain circumstances[4, p. 78].
However, there are still some scholars that believe these two terms mean absolutely the same. They mistakenly consider that the question of the age of criminal liability is not relevant in present case as the person under 16 years of age cannot be the subject of a crime under the money laundering process, because he or she cannot commit financial operations. But this position is explicitly wrong as even if juveniles could not commit financial operations they still would be able to commit transactions. However, this position is also out of the use as there is a certain list of financial operations that can be done by juveniles under the 16 years of age. Some scholars refer this argument to the idea of reaching the age of 18 years [5, p. 190].
To sum up, under the articles 174 and 174.1 of the criminal Code of the Russian Federation money laundering constitutes an intentional legalisation of the proceed of crime by any financial operation or transaction.
References / Список литературы
1. Михайлов В.М., Федоров А.В. Противодействие легализации (отмыванию) денежных средств и иного имущества, приобретенных незаконным путем: Учеб. пос. Калининград: Калининградский ЮИ МВД России, 2001.
2. Вершинин А. Легализация средств или иного имущества, приобретенных незаконным путем // Уголовное право, 1998. № 3.
3. Лопашенко Н.А. Преступления в сфере экономики. Саратов, 1997.
4. Киселев И.А. Грязные деньги: Уголовная ответственность за отмывание преступных доходов и ее применение в борьбе с преступностью и коррупцией. М.: ИД «Юриспруденция», 2009.
5. Гаухман Л.Д., Максимов С.В. Преступления в сфере экономической деятельности. М., 1998.
References in English / Список литературы на английском языке
1. Mikhailov V.M., Fedorov A.V. Protivodeystviye legalizatsii (otmyvaniyu) denezhnykh sredstv i inogo imushchestva, priobretennykh nezakonnym putem [Counteraction to the legalization (laundering) of money and other property acquired illegally]: Textbook. pos. Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 2001 [In Russian].
2. Vershinin A. Legalizatsiya sredstv ili inogo imushchestva, priobretennykh nezakonnym putem [Legalization of funds or other property acquired illegally] // Ugolovnoye pravo [Criminal law], 1998. № 3 [In Russian].
3. Lopashenko N.A. Prestupleniya v sfere ekonomiki. Saratov [Crimes in the field of economics. Saratov], 1997 [In Russian].
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4. Kiselev I.A. Gryaznyye den'gi: Ugolovnaya otvetstvennost' za otmyvaniye prestupnykh dokhodov i yeye primeneniye v bor'be s prestupnost'yu i korruptsiyey. [Dirty money: Criminal liability for the laundering of criminal proceeds and its use in the fight against crime and corruption]. M: Publishing House "Jurisprudence", 2009 [In Russian].
5. Gaukhman L.D., Maksimov S.V. Prestupleniya v sfere ekonomicheskoy deyatel'nosti. [Crimes in the field of economic activity]. M., 1998 [In Russian].
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