Spălarea de bani este un fenomen strâns legat de economia subterană, perceput ca activitate desfăşurată cu încălcarea normelor juridice. Aceasta presupune căi prin care infractorii procesează mijloace băneşti ilegale sau ,,murdare”, provenite din practicarea activităţilor ilicite (veniturile din comerţul cu droguri, traficul de fiinţe umane, frauda, furtul etc.), prin intermediul unor transferuri şi tranzacţii succesive, până când sursa fondurilor acaparate ilegal devine neclară şi banii capătă aparenţa fondurilor activelor legitime sau ,,curate”. În vederea prevenirii şi combaterii acestui fenomen la nivel internaţional au fost adoptate un şir de acte normative, printre care se enumeră: Convenţia Naţiunilor Unite împotriva traficului ilicit de stupefiante şi substanţe psihotrope, Convenţia Consiliului Europei cu privire la spălarea banilor, depistarea, sechestrarea şi confiscarea veniturilor provenite din activităţi infracţionale, Directiva Consiliului Comunităţii Europene cu privire la folosirea sistemului financiar în scopul spălării banilor etc.  

Money laundering is a phenomenon closely related to the underground economy, perceived as an activity carried out in violation of legal norms. This involves ways in which offenders process illegal or «dirty» money, derived from practice of illicit activities (revenues from the drug trade, human trafficking, fraud, theft, etc.), through successive transfers and transactions until the source of illegally acquired funds becomes unclear and money gets the appearance of legitimate or ,,clean» assets funds. In order to prevent and combat this phenomenon at international level, a number of normative acts have been adopted, among which are: The United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds derived from criminal activity, Council Directive of the European Community on prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering.  

Money laundering is a phenomenon closely related to the underground economy, perceived as an activity carried out in violation of legal norms. This involves ways in which offenders process illegal or «dirty» money, derived from practice of illicit activities (revenues from the drug trade, human trafficking, fraud, theft, etc.), through successive transfers and transactions until the source of illegally acquired funds becomes unclear and money gets the appearance of legitimate or ,,clean» assets funds. In order to prevent and combat this phenomenon at international level, a number of normative acts have been adopted, among which are: The United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds derived from criminal activity, Council Directive of the European Community on prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering.