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Shadow Economy
April 2015
INTERVIEW WITH ESTEBAN GIUDICI, LEGAL OFFICER WITH INTERPOL
The material is an interview with Esteban Giudici, legal officer with Interpol. Giudici presented the main topics
debated at the 43rd edition of the Interpol European Regional Conference, organized by the ministry for
internal affairs and the general inspectorate of the Romanian Police. According to the Interpol official, illicit
trade reaches an annual value equal to 8-15% of the global GDP, and the value of the pirated and counterfeit
goods reaches USD 650 billion a year. Asked about Interpol statistics on cigarettes smuggling in Romania,
Giudici declared: “We saw a rise in cigarette smuggling, trend registered in other countries in the region. This
could be caused by the major price differences between cigarettes in various jurisdictions. As a result, most of
these products are cheap cigarettes, also known as illegal whites, which are brands produced legally in a
country, but with the goal to be traded illegally. Illicit trade includes both counterfeit and authentic products.
(…) The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is the first legal international tool dedicated
entirely to fighting illegal tobacco trade. The protocol will require major efforts from member states, in order to
ensure its effectiveness. The Interpol encourages Romanian authorities to recognize and implement this tool”.
INTERVIEW WITH ERNESTO SAVONA DIRECTOR OF TRANSCRIME
The following piece is an interview with Ernesto Savona the director of Transcrime. According to professor Ernesto Savona in certain countries where
illegal resources are lacking criminal croups resort to tobacco product smuggling and illicit commerce where the profit margin could be quite large and
the risk quite low. He compares this to the case of the Sicily Mafia after the second world war where criminal groups acted in the same matter.