Using virtual assets to transfer or convert criminal proceeds is among a range of money laundering methods that violate China’s criminal law, according to a judicial interpretation published on Monday by the Supreme People’s Court and the main agency responsible for legal prosecution, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
If ordinary investors happen to receive proceeds from criminal activities during the buying or selling of virtual assets, they could be held as suspects in a money laundering case, according to Shao. Crypto investors on the mainland must be more cautious to avoid inadvertently taking part in money laundering and other illegal activities, she added.
The new interpretation, however, does not equate cryptocurrency trading with money laundering, or change mainland China’s cryptocurrency policies in any way, Liu said.
