THE BLEACHERS - THE WHITE-COLLAR MAFIA

Dirty money never stays dirty for longMoney laundering accounts for 3% of global GDP ($3,000 billion). If it were a country, it would be the world's 8th largest, equivalent to the UK's GDP. The aim of this essay is to describe the mechanisms by which money is laundered, in particular the two main ?schools? of fraud, namely financial flows and capital ownership. And to explore the demonetization of fraud, via the art market, real estate in London and the Alps, and the luxury watch market, which illustrate both the agility of fraudsters and the systematic lag of the authorities in the fight against fraud.The author also aims to establish the link between fraud, money laundering and the plundering of populations. And between money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Money laundering only exists if the underlying crime that procured the capital to be laundered exists.He points to the irresponsibility of politicians and financial entities, who through blindness or amorality, allow this white-collar swindle to flourish. Every year, financial entities prefer to pay out over 10 billion dollars rather than control the phenomenon. Faced with the internationalization of fraud, which amplifies the distortion between supposedly friendly states and the impunity of criminals, it is vital to strengthen international cooperation between authorities if money laundering is to be curbed. Éric Percheron is a research associate at IRIS, specializing in financial compliance and financial security issues (anti-money laundering, analysis of international flows and country risks). He has spent over thirty years in the French banking industry, both in operational and compliance functions. Over the past fifteen years, he has developed expertise in financial security and compliance in the broadest sense, first in France, then by assisting foreign banks in Eastern Europe and Russia. He is a regular contributor to professional and business publications, offering analyses of the geopolitical influence of financial crime. An engineer by training (UTC), Éric Percheron is also a graduate of the Institut Technique de Banque, where he later taught, and of the Centre d'Etudes Supérieures de Banques. In addition to his ACAMS (Association of Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists) certifications. He is a graduate of IRIS Sup' in International Strategy, Geopolitics and Foresight, and holds a Master's degree in Law/Economics/Management, specializing in diplomacy and international relations, from the Université de Bretagne Occidentale.