Several years after his criminal profits were first deposited and moved through a chain of offshore accounts, Rourke uses the funds to buy a restaurant, runs it as an ordinary business and pays himself a salary and dividends from it. Which stage of money laundering does the purchase and running of the restaurant represent?

Correct answer: A) Integration

Explanation

Money laundering is usually described in three stages. In placement, criminal cash first enters the financial system. In layering, complex transactions, such as transfers through offshore accounts, obscure the audit trail. In integration, the laundered funds re-enter the legitimate economy in a form that appears legitimate, such as investment in a business and income drawn from it. Buying and running the restaurant is therefore integration. 'Structuring' describes splitting cash deposits to avoid reporting thresholds, which is a placement technique.