By AML Intelligence Correspondent
AN IMPORTANT new addition to our understanding of the law and imperatives around money laundering – particularly in common law jurisdictions – has just been introduced.
Money Laundering in Ireland: Context, History and the Law by Dr Steven Meighan and offers a consolidated AML reference and deeper context from the author’s unique professional perspective as both an internationally accomplished police detective and barrister.
This textbook from Clarus Press sets out legal frameworks and precedents to allow the reader understand the background to AML laws and how they can be used to combat financial crime. In the geo-political world we now live in, the subject matter could hardly be more urgent.
Money laundering and organised crime are ubiquitous topics in contemporary media, however, they are often misunderstood or glamorised in those portrayals. The truth is simple: money is the life-blood of criminal organisations and requires a whole-of-society response to tackle the adverse effects of this dirty money. This is neatly summed up by Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, who observed in June 2012 that “Money laundering is giving oxygen to organised crime”.
We live in a time where there are significant developments in anti-money laundering measures and an increase in offending in the world of financial crime. Recently released crime figures from the Central Statistics Office on behalf of An Garda Síochána show a 73% increase in overall offences in Ireland for the first six months of 2025. At a European level, the most recent Europol reports show that 70% of criminal organisations operating in Europe engage in money laundering. The vast sums of dirty money earned from these crimes harms our communities, allowing these gangs to live lavish lifestyles — well beyond their legitimate means — and, more seriously, reinvest in further harmful activity. To counter this, the EU has recently published an ambitious AML package, including setting up the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) in Frankfurt. The establishment of AMLA marks a decisive shift in Europe’s fight against illicit finance, and Ireland’s institutions will need to adapt to closer EU-level supervision. Economic and financial crime is an issue that is not going away, nor is it easily solved.
Against this backdrop, Money Laundering in Ireland: Context, History and the Law seeks to fill this demanding gap. It offers readers a clear, consolidated roadmap through Ireland’s AML framework and situates this within the wider international and European contexts. For investigators, prosecutors, compliance officers, regulators, and academics alike, understanding this framework is essential to professional practice and to delivering an effective response.
Money Laundering in Ireland: Context, History and the Law is more than an overview: it is written as a practitioner’s guide that offers an authoritative exploration of AML through the lens of the author’s practitioner experience. It draws on developments at the international, European, and Irish levels to explore how Irish law and jurisprudence has evolved to meet the challenges of serious financial and organised crime. It emphasises the central aims of AML and shows how legislation and case law operate in practice, protecting the legitimate financial and business systems, criminalising money laundering, and seizing and confiscating the proceeds of crime. Each chapter balances doctrinal explanation with practical application, making the book valuable both as a reference tool and as a teaching resource.
The first chapter introduces the concepts of money laundering and anti-money laundering (AML). It explains why money laundering is a societal problem and how the international community has rallied together since 1988 to tackle this serious crime. It conceptualises how AML was developed both abroad and in Ireland in a useful diagram. Following the brief introduction, the book contextualises money laundering in detail and explores the historical development of AML up to the present day (Chapter 2). It then examines Ireland’s response to the concern of money laundering beginning with the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, and the issues raised by money laundering prosecutions under that Act, before moving to the present-day legislation (Chapter 3). This book then focuses on the Irish money laundering offences as set out in legislation and how case law has interpreted them (Chapter 4), before moving on to money laundering investigation (Chapter 5), and asset recovery (Chapter 6). Finally, the book evaluates the Irish Courts’ approach to persons convicted of money laundering and the sentences imposed for this serious crime (Chapter 7).
The conclusion offers a rallying call to the various arms of the State, working in conjunction with private sector entities, on how to better address the scourge of organised crime and money laundering. Throughout the book, the author combines his professional and academic experience with vital AML statistics, collated in an appendix rarely available in one place and invaluable for future research. The appendices also set out various precedents, a list of all Irish AML legislation, and key extracts from the updated 2010 Act.
About the Author
Dr Steven Meighan has extensive national and international experience in the investigation of money laundering and organised crime. He was part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) team that undertook Indonesia’s membership evaluation, with responsibility for the evaluation of their money laundering investigation and asset recovery systems. He previously served as a United Nations peacekeeper in Cyprus. His work with Europol, Interpol, and the European Commission has taken him around the world, where he has worked with numerous international law enforcement and government agencies. He is a member of An Garda Síochána, holds a PhD in anti-money laundering, and was called to the Irish Bar in 2015. This combination of operational and academic expertise underpins the authority of this book.
The book is available from the Clarus Press website (www.claruspress.ie) and other major booksellers. It is a reference work and a resource for deeper research, and is recommended for AML professionals and others working in the field.
ISBN: 9781917134163 | Format: Paperback | RRP: €75 | Publication Date: 25 August 2025
For anyone engaged in the ongoing battle against financial crime, this book is an indispensable guide.
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