자금세탁방지의무와 관련된 변호사의 비밀유지의무

Abstract

With the recent movement of financial authorities to impose duty to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) upon the Designated Non-Financial Business and Professions (DNFBPs), this article has addressed the lawyers’ duty of confidentiality under the Lawyers Act and the Korean Bar Association Code of Professional Conduct in connection with the legal professionals’ duty to AML/CFT. Although it may be necessary for legal professionals, as gatekeepers, to act in concert with global effort and international norm to prevent AML/ CFT, there is also concern that this will run counter to the lawyers’ duty of confidentiality which is regarded as the ground for the basis of the attorney system and public confidence in the judicial system. At this juncture, this article has dealt with how to harmonize the lawyers’ duty of confidentiality with duty to AML/ CFT while the lawyers keep to their duty of confidentiality. First of all, assuming the current ‘Act on Reporting and Use Certain Financial Transaction Information (ARUFT)’ remains intact, the followings are suggested: 1) education on AML/CFT be reinforced for lawyers ; 2) Compliance programs concerning the AML/CFT be provided; and 3) the requirements to permit lawyers to disclosure confidential client information under the concept of ‘the serious public interests’ be analyzed in favor of alleviation of such requirements, while ‘lawyers’ duty of prohibition of supporting illegal activities’ be positively interpreted as well. However, in case ARUFT is to be revised to impose on the legal professionals the duty to AML/ CFT, the followings are considered in the view that such revision of ARUFT will be doubtlessly argued as the possibility of its unconstitutionality: 1) Attorney-Client Privilege(ACP) shall be protected as EU AML/CFT third Directives; 2) the legal professionals’ duty to AML/CFT shall be applied only to designated financial activities; and 3) ACP is needed to be legislated.