Offshore business and money laundering prevention

Straipsnio tikslas - atskleisti objektyvias ir subjektyvias ofšorinio verslo atsiradimo priežastis bei aplinkybes. Įvertinant ofšorinio verslo ištakas ir vystymosi sąlygas, parodyti jo esmę ir panaudojimo galimybes - pradedant juridiškai priimtinais mokesčių sumažinimo būdais ir baigiant „nešvarių“ pinigų, gautų iš kriminalinių, ekonominių bei finansinių nusikaltimų, legalizavimo schemomis. Straipsnyje analizuojama ofšorinių verslo struktūrų daroma įtaka pinigų plovimo prevencijos priemonių įgyvendinimo efektyvumui, finansų sistemai ir ekonomikai. Nagrinėjama pinigų plovimo prevencijos priemonių sistema tarptautinėje aplinkoje ir Lietuvoje bei šios sistemos panaudojimo galimybės. Detalizuojamos Lietuvoje ir tarptautinėje aplinkoje kylančios problemos susijusios su ofšoriniu verslo struktūrų veiklos vertinimu ir kontrole.In this article the legal economical expression from two different positions is analysed, i. e. the offshore business is described as tax "planned" method, which has indications of liberality and confidentiality and at the same time it reveals negative results of such approach. Negative influence of money laundering over local and international financial system is highlighted. It is emphasised that money could be laundered not only from drug turnover or other crimes, but also from economical and financial crimes. Unfortunately, such opinion is not universal and that has precisely created the presumption for the rise of various modern forms of business organisation, which are not regulated de jure at international level. The problems related to the legal acts, which regulate implementation of the prevention of money laundering, that are not co-ordinated at international level are analysed. Money laundering prevention measures will not achieve a desirable result: to block the access of the "dirty" money to the legal business if the implementation of these measures are not co-ordinated among countries. Money laundering is a legal and economical term and phenomenon, which should be examined in a broad sense in order to fight not only with the results of this phenomenon by implementing penal sanctions or various restrictions, but also to prevent the rise of reasons and presumptions of such dangerous phenomenon, i. e. to implement the measures of money laundering prevention both in legal and economic sphere. Many world countries admit that money laundering through the structures of offshore business is an international problem. Therefore, no country or international institution has established the unified technique in order to estimate the damage and influence on financial system and economy made by "dirty" money. The article describes circumstances and reasons of the origin of offshore business and its nature as well. The development perspectives are created according to the opinion of economists, financiers and other experts. After defining the nature of offshore business, the article describes its primary constituent parts. Considerable attention is paid to the prevention of money laundering. It analyses measures of money laundering prevention, which are implemented by global law enforcement and tax supervisory authorities, programmes of international organisations and their implementation problems. The main international institution fighting against money laundering is Financial Action Task Forse (FATF). During the last ten years some specialised governmental institutions were established in order to solve money-laundering problems. Such institutions are usually named as Financial Intelligence Units (FIU). Since 1995 many local subdivisions of financial intelligence have started to work together in one unofficial organisation known as "Egmont groups". The article presents legal and economic evaluation of preventive measures against money laundering that have been implemented in Lithuania. It also gives scrutiny of legal and economic preconditions for the implementation of preventive measures against money laundering as well as possibilities to apply them seeking to increase the effectiveness of tax administration. Lithuania is the member of the Experts commission of the evaluation of money laundering prevention measures (in French. PC-R-EV), its main object being to estimate the implementation of money laundering measures in free aspects: legal, financial and law enforcement. The experts of the European Council indicate three aspects in which Lithuania must operate in order to prevent the money laundering. First, to strengthen the co-operation with adequate institutions of foreign countries and international organisations. Second, to reform it's own legal system according to the requirements of the European Union and international standards