Mechanisms for International Criminal Cooperation in Combating Money Laundering
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59992/IJLRS.2026.v5n5p16Keywords:
Money Laundering, International Criminal Cooperation, Judicial Delegation, Extradition, Enforcement of Foreign Criminal Judgments, Controlled Delivery, Organized Crime, FATFAbstract
This research examines the mechanisms of international criminal cooperation in combating the crime of money laundering as one of the most serious forms of transnational organized crime posing a direct threat to the economic and security stability of states. The study focuses on the international nature of money laundering and the international legislative framework established to combat it, particularly through the Vienna and Palermo Conventions, as well as the recommendations issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The research also addresses the principal forms of international criminal cooperation in combating money laundering crimes, including judicial delegation, extradition, enforcement of foreign criminal judgments, and controlled delivery operations, while clarifying the position of the Iraqi legislator under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Law No. (39) of 2015.
The study concludes that the effectiveness of combating money laundering depends largely on the efficiency of international cooperation and information exchange among states, in addition to the continuous development of domestic legislation in line with modern international standards aimed at confronting the evolving methods employed by organized criminal groups.
References
I. International Conventions and Agreements:
1. Riyadh Arab Agreement for Judicial Cooperation of 1983.
2. United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988 (Vienna Convention).
3. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000 (Palermo Convention).
II. National Legislation:
1. Iraqi Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Law No. 39 of 2015.
2. Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, as amended.
3. Iraqi Code of Criminal Procedure.
4. Military Code of Criminal Procedure No. 30 of 2007.
5. Law No. 20 of 2007 concerning Iraq’s ratification of the Convention and its supplementary Protocols.
6. Banking Secrecy Law No. 205 of 1990.
7. Egyptian Anti-Money Laundering Law No. 80 of 2002.
8. Qatari Anti-Money Laundering Law No. 28 of 2002.
9. UAE Law No. 4 of 2002 concerning Money Laundering.
III. Books:
1. Abd al-Ilah al-Khani, National Criminal Judiciary and Cross-Border Crimes, Vol. 1, Al-Jadida Press, Damascus, 1964.
2. Abdel Fattah Bayoumi Hegazy, Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil, Commercial, and Criminal Matters, Dar Al-Fikr Al-Jami ‘i, Alexandria, 2004.
3. Abdulilah Al-Khani, National Criminal Judiciary and Transnational Crimes, Vol. 1, Al-Matba ‘an Al-Jadida, Damascus, 1964.
4. Ahmed Shawqi Al-Shalqani, Principles of Criminal Procedure in Egyptian Legislation, Dar Al-Nahda Al-Arabiya, Cairo, 2006.
5. Baraa M. K. Al-Latif, Explanation of the Criminal Procedure Code, 5th edn, Yadgar Press, Sulaymaniyah, 2016.
6. Mahmoud Naguib Hosni, Explanation of the Penal Code – General Part, Dar Al-Nahda Al-Arabiya, Cairo, 1989.
IV. Theses and Dissertations:
Ahmed Wahab Al-Kubaisi, The Criminal Confrontation of Money Laundering in Iraqi Law: A Comparative Study, PhD Dissertation, Faculty of Law, Cairo University, 2025.
V. Journal Articles and Research Papers:
1. Baraa Munther Kamal Abdul Latif, The Role of Criminal Legislation in Combating Money Laundering, published research.
2. Baraa Munther Kamal Abdul Latif & Mowafaq Ali Ubaid, Enforcement of Foreign Criminal Judgments in Iraq: A Comparative Study, Tikrit University Journal for Humanities, Vol. 15, No. 11, 2008.
3. Baraa Munther Kamal Abdul Latif & Fatima Shabib Al-Samarrai, International Criminal Cooperation in Controlled Delivery Operations, Tikrit University Journal for Legal and Political Sciences, No. 25, 2016.
4. Baraa Munther Kamal Abdul Latif & Fatima Shabib Al-Samarrai, International Criminal Cooperation in the Field of Controlled Delivery, Journal of Tikrit University for Legal and Political Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 25, 2016.
5. Mujahidi Ibrahim, International and Domestic Legal Mechanisms for Preventing Drug Crimes, Journal of the Academy for Social and Humanitarian Studies, No. 5, 2010.
6. Mujahidi Ibrahim, Mechanisms of International and National Law for the Prevention of Drug Crimes, Journal of the Academy for Social and Human Studies, No. 5, 2010.
VI. International Reports and Standards:
1. Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Forty Recommendations on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.
2. Financial Action Task Force (FATF), International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation, Paris, 2023.
VII. Judicial Decisions:
1. Cass. crim., 20 février 2008, Bull. crim. No. 42.
2. Criminal Court of Cassation, 4 November 1999, Criminal Bulletin No. 249.
3. Supreme Court of Cassation of Italy, Judgment No. 18374 of 2013.
