There are multiple government agencies involved in tracing and investigating money laundering activities in Australia. And the charges are often severe. If you ever get involved in a money laundering case, then you should immediately seek help from registered Sydney criminal lawyers to challenge the allegations against you.
Money Laundering in Sydney, Australia
Australian law identifies money laundering as the act of concealing the origins of profit and cash flow. This is often done to avoid the tax system or fund illegal activities. Money laundering isn’t limited to money, but also other types of transactions like property or gambling. In Australia, there are multiple agencies tasked with identifying money laundering acts. Those are:
- Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions (CDPP)
- Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Center
- Australian Federal Police
- Department of Home Affairs
CDPP acts as the federal prosecution service operating at the Commonwealth level, while others act as partner agencies. At the local level, police and specialized task forces also operate to investigate money laundering charges.
The New South Wales legislation deals with offenses regarding money laundering charges in Sydney. As per the legislation, it is considered a criminal act if you knowingly get involved in proceeds of crime with the intention of concealing sources. If found guilty, you may need to serve up to 20 years in prison. If you’re unsure whether the acts are proceeds of crime, then the jail time will be 10 years.
In many cases, individuals aren’t sure whether the funds are proceeds of crime. In such cases, Sydney criminal lawyers will represent your case accordingly if you’re accused of money laundering charges.
Money Laundering for Terrorism Financing
Australian law also recognizes money laundering is often used for profits and terrorism financing. The term “terrorism financing” includes, but is not limited to, acts like financing of terror acts and financing terrorists and terrorist groups anywhere in the world. The funding can be in any form, whether cash credits, bank cheques, travellers cheques, bonds, letters of credit, to name a few.
The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act, 2006 enforces a strong regime to counter money laundering to finance terrorism. If found guilty under this act, you’re likely to face stricter actions.
Defense Against Accusation of Money Laundering
When accused of money laundering activities, you should seek help from a registered criminal lawyer to defend you against those allegations. Australian laws call for fair prosecution and will allow you to put forth your side of things. A criminal lawyer will help you in identifying the weak links in the case. These are:
- Absence of intent to commit the money laundering act
- Duress
- Lack of evidence
When you unknowingly get yourself involved in money laundering acts, you just need to prove that it was unintentional. A criminal lawyer will help you prove to that court that there’s a lack of intent for committing the crime in your case. This way, you’re likely to face minor actions or no actions against you at all.
Also, you can challenge the evidence presented against you by the authorities. Either way, you’d need Sydney defense lawyers to represent you in court.
