Q1. What is PMLA?

PMLA refers to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002

Q2. When did the Prevention of Money Laundering Act come into force?

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 has come into force with effect from 1 July, 2005. The Act was amended by Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Act 2009 w.e.f 01.06.2009.

Q3. Does the Act extend to the whole of India?

Yes, it extends to the whole of India including the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

Q4. What is the object of the enactment of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002?

As stated in the Preamble to the Act, it is an Act to prevent money-laundering and to provide for confiscation of property derived from, or involved in, money-laundering.

Q5. Which agency administers the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?

The Directorate of Enforcement of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance is responsible for administering the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Q6. What is Money Laundering?

The goal of a large number of criminal activities is to generate profit for an individual or a group. Money laundering is the processing of these criminal proceeds to disguise their illegal origin.

Illegal arms sales, smuggling, and other organized crime, including drug trafficking and prostitution rings, can generate huge amount of money. Embezzlement, insider trading, bribery and computer fraud schemes can also produce large profits and create the incentive to “legitimise” the ill-gotten gains through money laundering. The money so generated is tainted and is in the nature of `dirty money’. Money Laundering is the process of conversion of such proceeds of crime, the `dirty money’, to make it appear Legitimate Money.

Q7. How does Money Laundering take place?

Usually, the process of Money Laundering goes through the following three stages :

(a) Placement:- The Money Launderer, who is holding the money generated from criminal activities, introduces the illegal funds into the financial system. This might be done by breaking up large amount of cash into less conspicuous smaller sums which are deposited directly into a Bank Account or by purchasing a series of instruments such as Cheques, Bank Drafts etc., which are then collected and deposited into one or more accounts at another location.

(b) Layering:- The second stage of Money Laundering is layering. In this stage, the Money Launderer typically engages in a series of continuous conversions or movements of funds, within the financial or banking system by way of numerous accounts, so as to hide their true origin and to distance them from their criminal source. The Money Launderer may use various channels for movement of funds, like a series of Bank Accounts, sometimes spread across the globe, especially in those jurisdictions which do not co–operate in anti Money Laundering investigations.

(c) Integration:- Having successfully processed his criminal profits through the first two stages of Money Laundering, the Launderer then moves to this third stage in which the funds reach the legitimate economy, after getting inseparably mixed with the legitimate money earned through legal sources of income. The Money Launder might then choose to invest the funds into real estate, business ventures & luxury assets, etc. so that he can enjoy the laundered money, without any fear of law enforcement agencies.

The above three steps may not always follow each other. At times, illegal money may be mixed with legitimate money, even prior to placement in the financial system. In certain cash rich businesses, like Casinos (Gambling) and Real Estate, the proceeds of crime may be invested without entering the mainstream financial system at all.