Balancing privacy and public interest in the fight against illicit financial flows: Lessons from an European Case Study

Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) – such as corruption and money laundering – have a significant negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights. Combating IFF is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. SDG 16 explicitly promulgates the relation between the rule of law, social security and the fight against IFF. Cross-border data access and exchange by enforcement authorities is crucial to map and disrupt IFF, punish suspects and take away their criminally earned assets. At the same time, human rights restrain national enforcement authorities when combatting IFF. States must abstain from undue interference with individuals’ privacy rights, such as the storage of information relating to an individual’s private life and the sharing of such information. Pursuant to article 8 ECHR, interference with the right to respect for private – in accordance with the law – is only permissible if this is necessary in a democratic society, e.g. in the interests of national security and public safety. In this article we explore the balance between individual rights and states’ responsibilities in the fight against IFF; between privacy and the common good of fighting bad money. To what extent may privacy concerns be an obstacle to investigate global IFF? Our conclusion is that there is an imbalance. We suggest that human dignity and human security should be given more weight in the balancing of human rights in this context.